


ARCANE - Signature x The 100

by ZhangYuLian



Series: TRINITY [1]
Category: The 100 (TV), Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, M/M, Past Torture, Starting Over, Transformers Spark Bonds, dadchet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZhangYuLian/pseuds/ZhangYuLian
Summary: Madi thought she had already endured enough. However, the Anomaly Stone obviously thought otherwise. Thrust into another world, Madi struggles to survive and with no way back, and has to decide for herself how she’s going to navigate her new life. Does she truly deserve it, after everything she’s been through? Or will her demons consume her first? Can life truly be more than just surviving?Inspired by and set in the world of arabis’ Signature series, join Madi on her journey of self discovery. May emotional rollercoasters, fluff, angst, new friendships, heart-breaking betrayals, Transformers, and humans—old and new—collide.Welcome to the world of ARCANE. See you on the other side!—This is a crossover of the CW's the 100 TV series and arabis' Signature series (starting off right after Signature (Part I), with similar parallels to Tribulations (Part II).)I found Signature series on a whim and with arabis’ permission, this is a combination of her head-canon of the Transformers universe with my favorite post apocalyptic TV series, The 100.Enjoy!
Relationships: Bumblebee/Sam Witwicky, Cliffjumper/Madi
Series: TRINITY [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125125
Comments: 38
Kudos: 22





	1. Discovering Remains Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Signature](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20590394) by [arabis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arabis/pseuds/arabis). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 10/9/2020

Cliffjumper swore to himself as he watched the white blur scurry away like a bolt of lightning.

Seriously?

He was just about to scream bloody murder at the sight of a bunny—a very tiny, fluffy bunny.

Annoyed, he ex-vented through his intakes and thought to himself, Dear Primus, have mercy on his spark.

He made to step over a fairly large tree root when his audio receptors picked up a sound in the distance. Whipping his frame around, his search lights pierced the darkness of night as he tried to hone in on where he thought the source came from. As quietly as he could manage, he went that direction, sweeping the area with his infra-red scanners.

The scout made a mental note to stop watching the recommended “educational content” provided by a certain marine. He didn’t think ill of him at all, his heart was in the right place but they probably needed to pipe down on the horror streak a lot more. The eerie silence of the forest coupled with the howling winds and endless rustling of the leaves from the canopy above made the sensors on his armor plates shiver in apprehension. They had no idea of what or who they were going to find here, but the scenic route felt no less ominous.

And by all means, he wasn’t afraid to take on one of those Decepti-creeps. If anything, he’d be glad to. Even if it was a zombified version or two. (he seriously needed to stop watching the Walking Dead) However, the sinking feeling that lodged itself into his spark earlier that solar cycle had spread through his circuits like wildfire. He couldn’t shake the twinge of unease the moment they crossed through the ground bridge.

Earlier that week they had been tipped off by an unknown source, courtesy of the US Ambassador. When they investigated further, an energon source was detected coming from the southeastern part of the United States along the range of the Appalachian Mountains. Recalling the debrief, Prowl had provided a layout of the region, mainly surrounding a man-made facility called Mount Weather. It was an underground bunker built into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in 1959, meant to safeguard leaders of the US during a nuclear attack. An unfortunate series of events left the facility decommissioned in 1975, the first event being a fatal airplane crash in 1974. The plane had crashed into Area A, the above-ground facilities, leaving it heavily damaged beyond repair and killing everyone on board, including those on the ground. Area B, the underground components, had remained largely unscathed but was left uninhabitable when a deadly radiation leak followed afterward. Besides being heavily guarded and patrolled against the public, and entry strictly permitted to authorized personnel only, it was largely left abandoned.

Barely two days ago when Wheeljack and Perceptor were performing another sweep, they picked up a distress signal coming from the same area. They couldn’t identify who it was. It was too weak and fragile to decipher, but it was definitely Cybertronian.

When the United States government cleared them to enter American soil, NEST immediately went into full activation. Their orders were clear; investigate for Decepticon activity, search for any energon sources, and be ready for a possible search and rescue operation.

Distracted by his spinning thoughts, he jerked in surprise when Optimus’ baritone crackled through the comms.

“This is Prime to all Autobots. Rendezvous to Ironhide at these coordinates. The entry point has been located.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Cliff trekked his way through the darkness of night.

Upon arrival, Cliffjumper was greeted by the sight of NEST soldiers and various Autobots positioned in front of a steel bolted entrance. Imprinted on the border were bold letters that read MOUNT WEATHER COMPLEX. Distinctly remembering the description of the door being ‘blast-proof’, Cliff scoffed to himself. It probably wasn’t Ironhide proof and even if it was, it wouldn’t last long anyway.

Mindful of the humans, he made his way to stand beside Bumblebee. The yellow scout greeted him with a quick chirp before falling silent. Noticing the tenseness in his frame, Cliffjumper threw the other scout a questioning glance, his own azure optics bright with concern. Bumblebee merely shrugged and dismissed his behavior with a quick string of Cybertronian. Cliffjumper decided to leave him be, although he made a mental note to speak with him later.

Ironhide knelt down in front of the entrance door before activating a device attached to his arm. White sparks illuminated his frame as a laser beam cut through the thick metal, inching slowly from one end to the other. In a matter of minutes, a metal slab struck the earth with a plume of dust. Lennox signaled the other humans. The Special Ops team made their way inside, guns loaded. In addition to their standard uniform and gear, they were also equipped with infra-red ocular scanners.

Three of the smaller framed Autobots—Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Arcee—transformed into their alt modes, following right behind them, blasting the light of their headlights into the darkness.

Despite no longer being occupied by humans, the interior of the tunnel was a wide structured and looked surprisingly well-maintained, at least according to Cliff. It’s width allowed for both Bumblebee and Cliffjumper to drive side by side, with Arcee leading the front. Wires and pipes ran alongside the upper parts of the walls, guiding them deeper inside. As they continued further in, they came upon a three-way split. When they reached the intersection point, Cliffjumper noticed a set of numbers engraved on each side of the individual tunnels—203, 402, and 502.

Arcee was the first to shift back into her bipedal mode. Holding her arm up, she activated a hologram of the facility's blueprint. Her optics narrowed as she gave it another once-over, faceplates scrunched discontentedly.

“These are not indicated here.”

Lennox huffed beside her, equally annoyed. They had only been provided the original copy when it had been built in the late 1950’s.

“If this was being maintained by the US government, the least they can do is waste one sheet of paper and some ink”, Epps exasperated.

Beside him, Williams snorted. “My bet it’s on something they don't want us knowing.”

Lennox rolled his eyes, agreeing. It wouldn't be the first time.

Cliffjumper listened as the others figured out their next plan of action. Out of nowhere, he felt a whispy touch against his field. He whipped his head towards 402, the centermost tunnel. What in the Pits was that?

He swore there was something there, yet when he reached out with his mental presence, he was met with nothing but utter silence. Besides Arcee and Bee’s spark signatures, the void was just as empty as space.

Suddenly, a movement caught his attention. There it was again. Cliffjumper quickly reached out and latched on right to it. The moment he made contact, everything happened instantaneously. His protocols went berserk. Fear, confusion, and an endless amount of _hurt_ over-flooded his entire being. The maelstrom of emotion was almost too intense to handle all at once, but one he was unfamiliar with feeling overpowered the rest: possessiveness.

His frame began moving to its own accord. Shifting into his bipedal mode, he barely waited for the last piece to shift into place before the red-and-grey mech raced down tunnel 402, completely deaf to the others’ shouts from behind.

Unbeknownst to him, the tunnel had more curvatures than the other routes Cliffjumper paid it no mind as he swerved his way around each corner at dangerously high speeds. He could hear the others trying to communicate with him through the comms. The only thing he could comprehend was a desperation to _find_ and an intense want to _protect_.

Just as he neared his destination, the lights of his high beams revealed an upcoming archway. Atop the tunnel’s end in large bold letters, it read AREA 402. Cliffjumper slammed on the breaks, transforming midway before he skidded on the ground into a stop. Optics wide, he in-vented and ex-vented hot air intermittently like a bull ready to charge. The steel door stared back, mocking him as it stood between him and the pull in his spark. It was just as large as the entrance outside, except this time its border read LIFE SUPPORT - HARVEST ROOM.

He activated his cannons and fired at the offending structure. The first shot only made a dent. Firing again several more times, he effectively blew a hole in the wall. It took a moment for the smoke to clear before he crouched down and made his way past the threshold. The moment he stepped inside, a certain heaviness settled on his armor and burned the more sensitive portions of his exposed parts. He disregarded the warnings flashing across his HUD, instead whipping his head this way and that way, rabidly searching for it.

Cliffjumper was brought out of his cloud of desperation when a _crunch_ reached his auditals, causing him to look down. He removed a pede from the blackened mass. Whatever it was, it was barely recognizable. Quickly scanned a sample of it, the results revealed a mixture of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. He studied the mass in closer detail, this time spotting a few fingers and half what looked like an arm. Spark nearly dropping out of his chassis, Cliffjumper reeled back and tried to avoid the other piles littered across the ground.

Something wavered in the corner of his optic before it shimmered to reveal a pulse, glowing lowly yet bright. He forced his holoform to appear and began navigating through the place. It led him towards a pile near the centermost part of the area.

Cliffjumper made to move apart some of the mass when it crumbled under his hands, revealing an upper body of what he thought at first was a human in-tact. Cliff pushed it, turning the body on its back. The head loll revealed a half-human half-Cybertronian face, the miniature pieces in the midst of changing from one being to another stopped in mid-transformation. A pretender. Cliffjumper didn’t recognize the Cybertronian, but his attention was pulled to the human it held against its chassis. There were angry welts and swollen bulges throughout her face and arms where the skin was exposed. Blood seeped from a gash on her forehead and from her nose. His brows furrowed in confusion. Was human blood supposed to be black?

Kneeling on the ground, Cliff removed her from the Cybertronian’s grasp. He held her limp form in a tight embrace. A whimper escaped his lips when he felt her spark pulsing weakly against his, undulating with impossible brightness. Gently, he rocked her body back and forth, wrapping her presence with his. Desperate to quell the maelstrom of fear and confusion, he released wave after wave of calm reassurance, barely restraining the possessiveness overriding his system through their bond space. It felt like an eternity before the storm slowly faded away, morphing into a calm brilliance. It brushed against his own, caressing it. He tightened his hold on her, frightful she would disappear into a cloud of stardust.

Conflicted, Cliffjumper wasn’t sure what to do. His logical protocols blared warningly, screaming at him that this was very wrong. The logic behind it was false; this had to be a mistake. However, Cliffjumper pushed past them, as he knew in his spark it this _was_ right. He didn’t care that this was a human. An organic. The only thing he _understood_ was that this was his bonded. At that moment, his fear heightened tenfold from the knowledge elicited from the connection.

Shakily, he activated his comms.

“This is Cliffjumper. I’m sending coordinates to my location inside Mount Weather. I need Ratchet here. Primus, please, hurry.”

* * *

As soon as Cliffjumper’s message came through, the rest of them quickly mobilized. Ratchet led the front with Bumblebee. Arcee had taken one tunnel and Smokescreen the other. Lennox, Epps, Williams, and Anderson rode with Bee, nestled in his cabin. They sped down tunnel 402, Bee couldn’t help but worry about Arcee. Although she hadn’t voiced it, Bee had felt the concern in her electromagnetic field.

Out of all the millions of years Bumblebee knew Cliffjumper, the only time he had heard vocals so stricken was during their first battles in Iacon. He remembered clearly, it was the first time after a hard-earned win on the battlefield, they grieved their fallen comrades as the gravity of what the war really meant for their people dawned on them. It was so unlike the normally impulsive, supportive Autobot, and it only fueled him to get there faster.

Reports from the others came in on his secondary processor. All levels that had been cleared had no signs of human or human habitation or Decepticons for that matter. Arcee reported a storage unit holding nothing other than antiques like chinas and paintings on Level 501. A rundown medical lab was found on 304. According to Smokescreen, there were signs of recent usage too.

As they swerved around the curvatures with practiced ease, Ratchet and Bumblebee came upon a large hole clearly blasted open, surrounded by metal and rock debris. The humans peered through his windshield, equal looks of shock written on their faces.

“What in Christ’s name happened here?”

Bumblebee stopped several hundred meters away as Ratchet drove forward.

Lennox made to open the driver’s side door, only to find it locked.

“Bumblebee, can you unlock it?”

The scout spoke through his radio. “Sorry, Captain, no can do. Ratchet’s orders.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

This time, Ratchet’s voice responded back. “There is an extremely potent amount of radiation coming from this area. I have ordered Bumblebee to take you back to the surface at once. Prime has already been informed.”

Epps scoffed. “We just hauled ass here!” he exclaimed.

“Your sentiment is valid, Sergeant Epps. However, we cannot take this risk. I will handle this with Cliffjumper for now. Bumblebee and the other Autobots will join me once all of you have been secured.”

Epps tsked, but relented nonetheless. It wasn’t like they had a choice anyway.

Lennox looked at Ratchet’s transforming frame through the windshield. “Be careful, Ratchet."

“I appreciate the concern, Major. Bee, go.”

Bumblebee revved his engine affirmative before he reversed around and disappeared back up. The medic didn’t bother looking after their departure. He stepped through the threshold, optics widened when he felt the pulse. A ping brought his attention to the scout’s still frame on one side of the room, faceplates devoid of any expression. Ratchet followed his line of sight and found Cliffjumper’s holoform several meters. He activated his own, shimmering to life next to the scout.

Normally Cliffjumper would jump at the sight of something suddenly appearing beside him, especially in his current state of mind. Instead, he sagged with relief the moment he saw Ratchet.

“Thank Primus you’re here. Please, help her.”

Ratchet knelt next to them, scanning her as he checked the girl's vitals. Just based on appearance, she couldn’t have been any older than twelve or thirteen years old. His spark clenched at the thought of someone so young entangled in a situation like this.

“She has signs of dehydration and malnutrition. There is a fracture on her hipbone and wrists too.” He inspected the gash on her forehead. “The other wounds are superficial, but this will scar.”

A warning popped up on his HUD when he completed the scan. His eyebrows furrowed, reading the contents a second time.

“Primus, how is this possible?”

Cliffjumper looked to him, eyes wide. “What is it, Ratchet?”

Unsure of how to articulate his findings, he decided to perform a secondary scan, this time using his most sophisticated sensor sweep. “I need to be sure of this. Hold her steady.”

They stayed like that for several minutes. The seconds felt like years as they waited for the results to generate. When he reviewed the secondary scan, this time going to the genomic level, Ratchet swore the universe was mocking him.

“Unbelievable. How is this possible?!”

Anxious, the scout questioned him desperately. “Ratchet, please tell me what is going on?! Will she survive?!”

The medic held Cliffjumper’s gaze for a moment bringing his attention back to her resting face. “She will be more than fine. There is Allspark signature radiating from her cells, which is not undergoing senescence. Her black blood must be the result of a mutation, possibly from a genetic level or forced conversion—which I am not sure of. Regardless, it’s keeping her alive.”

Pausing, he watched the influx of data on her vitals closely. He made a sound of disbelief, shaking his head. His voice was but a whisper.

“Her body…it’s digesting over twenty thousand millisieverts of radiation as we speak.”

Cliffjumper slowly processed the information. He privately accessed the world wide web to understand and validate the medic’s analysis. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ratchet, but he wanted to make sure of it.

Fast as lightning, he went through millions of articles and documents on the internet. Shock barely described how he felt when it dawned on him a regular human would have died in several days exposed to ten thousand millisieverts. The current conditions were enough to kill a whole healthy human within a day or two, if not a few hours.

Despite the fact that he was beyond relieved she would survive, his hold on her tightened at the thought of the changes done to her and if she even knew. If there had not been any consent up to his point, he thought to himself dreadfully—and rightfully so—how she would react to the spark bond?

“What do we do now?” he timidly asked the medic.

Ratchet’s facial expression softened. He grasped Cliffjumper’s shoulder, squeezing it tight.

“What we have to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	2. Discovering Remains Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Autobots react to what’s been unearthed within Mount Weather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 10/25/2020
> 
> Here’s a photo reference of Mount Weather’s entrance (in daylight instead of night time): https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdOODJrWwAAxtkH.jpg

Bumblebee allowed a ray of hope to wedge its way into his spark when they departed through the ground bridge. It’s been seven months, two weeks, and four days since Sam’s capture and Megatron’s attack on Diego Garcia. The thought of finally finding his Sam crossed his processors the moment he received word of the mission details.

Nothing could describe how torturous the absence of his bonded was. The silence in their bond space was too unbearable some days and on others, he felt completely empty and lost. More often than not the scout thought to himself—had they actually listened to his pleas, Sam wouldn’t have forcibly been taken from their grasp. Bumblebee yearned for the moment he could hold his bonded close to his chassis, feel the vibrance of his young spark mesh together with his, his soft human skin against the living metal of his armor.

In those agonizing moments, he vowed that no matter what was going to happen next, when they found him, he would never leave Sam’s side ever again.

And he would make Megatron pay for taking what belonged to him and his people.

Throughout the past several months, the Autobots followed every lead they could find or came their way. The international community shared their sympathies and some even offered assistance, to which they had been grateful for. 

The first lead came up a whole month after the attack and led them to Scotland.

Nothing.

The second one took them to Southeast Asia.

Nothing.

Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Each time they came back home, it was empty handed. But they didn’t stop.

As the months blurred by, Bumblebee’s utter frustration and spark-gripping fear of never finding his bonded skyrocketed to calumnious levels. It was during their last search a little over a month ago that his bitter self-loathing and uncontrolled rage nearly off-lined Hot Rod, who was simply trying to calm Bumblebee down.

 _(“You know nothing of how I feel right now!”)_

The red and yellow mech took everything Bumblebee threw at him, even taunting him to hit harder in an effort to exhaust the other. Cliffjumper, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came just in time to separate the two. It had been vorns since he had last been acquainted with Cliffjumper’s armor-heavy punch, which knocked him off his pedes and onto his aft with practiced ease. Hot Rod ended up in recovery for over a week while Bumblebee spent half that time in the brig. Once released from confinement, he went and apologized profusely to the cavalier. Hot Rod waved it off, reassuring his friend he understood and he needn’t worry about it further. It didn’t make him feel any better about his actions, although Ratchet completely disagreed with Roddy’s sentiment.

That same solar cycle he was introduced to Ratchet’s wrenches, to which the medic only brought out on “special” occasions. Nursing his helm, the CMO followed through with a warning (“Primus, so help me, I’ll slag you to the Pits myself!”) if he ever did something glitched like that again. It was one thing to hear stories of Ratchet and his deadly wrenches putting even the fiercest Decepticons to shame. It was entirely different when one experiences it themself. He vowed to never get on Ratchet’s bad side, lest he wished to die prematurely by fiery death.

Optimus later approached him privately on the matter. The scout had hung his head low, unable to hide the disappointment in himself as Prime gave his own variation of Ratchet’s admonishment. Bonded or not, had they been under siege by enemy forces, his impairment on the battlefield could have been used as a tactical advantage against the Autobots.He could have possibly put them in danger, or worse, dead. However, being the understanding leader and father-figure he was, Optimus reminded him of their promise, to which Bumblebee held onto for dear life, repeating it in the back of his processors like a broken record player.

_(“No matter the cost, we will find him, Bumblebee, and bring him home. If it’s the last thing we do.”)_

* * *

He had reentered the facility after dropping off Lennox and the other humans with Ironhide and Optimus topside before making his way back down to where he had left Ratchet earlier. As he neared level 402, his sensors immediately picked up a sharp spike in radiation. His exposed protoform parts burned slightly during transformation and entering through the threshold. When he saw the charred human body parts, he nearly had a spark attack. Like a bull gone loose, his worst fears resurfaced, shaking his core like an erupting volcano.

Only one thing became coherent to him.

_Please…don’t let Sam be one of them!_

It had been Cliffjumper that brought him out of his over-processing. The other scout grasped his shoulders tightly and reeled him out of his panic-ridden haze by pushing a memory into his field. It was one of their first moments together, just the four of them, exploring the perimeters of Diego Garcia. Cliffjumper and Hot Rod had joined them for the first time on patrol, headed to Marianne Point.

Bumblebee stopped struggling immediately, melting at the sound of Sam’s voice in his processor.

_“Do any of you have a spark bond?” Sam asked curiously. Bumblebee’s chuckle reverberated through the open comms._

_“No, we do not. Spark bonded pairs are pretty obvious—they’re highly territorial of one another. It can make them a real liability in combat.”_

_“I can see why, especially if the death of one means the death of the other.”_

_There was a hum of acknowledgement. “That is why spark bonded pairs are usually kept off the battlefield unless they’re both war frames, and even then it’s a risk.”_

The red and grey mech brought him into a tight embrace as Bumblebee pulled himself together. He felt Ratchet’s intense scrutiny from afar but paid it no mind. That’s right, he reminded himself. Even the Allspark couldn’t keep him functioning if Sam had been amongst the dead.

Just as they pulled apart, Ratchet immediately ordered him to return to the surface, threatening to weld his aft to Skids or Mudflap if he disobeyed. Confused, he was about to argue his part but stopped when he detected a signature. His optics landed on the unconscious human inside Ratchet’s cabin. She was small and frail looking, ghostly pale with blister-like welts across the exposed epidermis. And very young too, a child perhaps? But it wasn’t her youthful appearance that made his spark twist. He simultaneously became aware of two things.

The first was the detection of something alive. From the way it undulated, in its purity and it’s rawness, with no finesse in its essence, it was a newspark. 

And with it, there was a scent of something ancient that was faint yet he noticed it immediately. It felt so familiar, yet not at the same time. He didn’t understand what it was right away. But when it dawned on him that what he was detecting was a faint Allspark signature, he lurched back, shocked.

There was a sharp shift in his field the moment he came across that realization. He watched as Cliffjumper moved in front of Ratchet, blockading himself between the two of them. The sudden intensity radiating off the red and grey mech pricked his sensory arrays with unease. His vents constricted when their optics met. In that moment, he understood exactly why Ratchet wanted him out of there.

Numbly, he gave with a curt nod before quickly shifting into his alt mode, following through with Ratchet’s orders. Barely paying attention to his surroundings as he sped through the complex, Bumblebee turned his attention inward towards the jumble of mixed feelings manifesting within himself. He couldn’t shake off the look on Cliffjumper’s face plates as it replayed itself in his processor. It was like seeing at an exact reflection of himself.   


Protective. Possessive. _Mine._

The scout wasn’t sure what he was more afraid of—the spike of jealousy that burned through his circuits, or the overwhelming tidal wave of guilt for even feeling the former towards his brother-in-arms.

As he resurfaced through the complex entrance, Bumblebee felt the ghost of Optimus’ trained optics on him. He had become very well acquainted with the feeling but didn’t want to entertain it any longer than necessary. Deciding he needed a distraction, he wordlessly beelined towards Ironhide’s position on the other side of the mountains.

* * *

The mission was smoothly rolling along as they secured the remainder of the facility. According to the blueprint, there were a total of seven levels all together. The deepest one, cleared by Arcee, was Level 701 which sat deep within the Blue Ridge Mountains—a little over twenty-one hundred feet below the Shenandoah Valley. It revealed itself to be command center, bearing similar furnishings to the United States presidential oval office. In addition, the entire place was also equipped with what had been considered back in the 70’s state of the art computers, televisions, radios and telephones. The sleek femme thoroughly swept through the place and everything in it, including hacking into the computers for any valuable information. 

Unfortunately, there was nothing of significance there, although she downloaded a copy just in case. Despite the disappointment of not finding any useful clues, the femme did not return empty-handed. In a small chest the size of a human hand was a ring and a bluish-white chip the size of a USB. There was a blue infinity sign engraved on either side. It had been locked in a heavily secured safe underneath a loose floorboard. They weren’t sure what it was but decided Wheeljack could probably make sense of it.

* * *

When Ratchet had reported his findings, the Autobots became a riot of mixed reactions, causing their human counterparts to question them worryingly. It wasn’t until Optimus had explained the situation that they too were equally filled with shock, anger, fear, and sadness. Autobots and humans alike broke into outbursts of indignation.

“How can we be sure if the Americans truly didn’t know this happened on their own soil?”

Smokescreen exclaimed, “This is blasphemous, fusing together humans and Cybertronians!”

“For all we know, they could have tried to build a super army of humanoid mechs. Whether to fight us or fight the Decepticons is another issue itself.”

“So Primus help them if they think they could have hidden this under our sensors!!”

Even before Ratchet emerged from within the complex, anyone within a hundred mile radius could feel the sheer lividity that rolled off of him in waves. ‘Displeased’ would have been the worst understatement of the century.

Primus only knows how many countless times he had no other choice but to extinguish the sparks of fallen mechs and femmes, their frames littered the battlegrounds of Cybertron, dismantled, broken, left forgotten and useless to the enemy. It was hard pressed in his coding that they would know no more suffering, no more pain. Although he had never outright mentioned it, they all knew the medic resented his function as chief medical officer in those moments. Quoting the human expression, it didn’t require a rocket scientist to figure it out.

These had been their people, regardless of their species or faction. They had already lost so many of their own. The thought of more Cybertronians or humans in similar situations out there was a painful picture to imagine. Had NEST known earlier, they could have been saved. Whoever they were, they didn’t deserve the fate they received.

When the chartreuse Search and Rescue Hummer and red and black Bugatti Chiron resurfaced, Bumblebee felt it again. The pulse was weak, but it was there. And with it was an Allspark signature.

The Autobots immediately became aware of the extra presence, however their reactions paled in comparison to Ratchet’s seething one.

Several moments passed by while the CMO spoke with Optimus via private comms, ignoring the others around them. Cliffjumper parked right beside him, also deaf to the world.

At the nod of the Autobot leader, engines revved before the two took off into the dark of night. A bluish-green light glowed brightly in the distance before it disappeared, taking the all three presences with it.

Quietness settled onto the remaining Autobots before they erupted into a flurry of questions, both directed at each other and the Autobot leader.

Ironhide was the first to question Optimus. “Prime, what in the Pits was that?”

“That was Allspark signature _and_ a newspark signature, was it not?” Smokescreen interjected.

Sunstreaker turned to the diversionary tactician and scoffed, “Your circuits must be fried if you didn’t notice.”

The red, blue and grey mech responded in a condescending tone of clicks and whirls, causing the brightly colored mech to snap back just as heated. The two war frames were about to close distance but Ironhide was faster. His servos collided with their chassis as he held them each at arms length.

“Enough!”

Ironhide’s optics narrowed into thin azure slits as he looked between the two Cybertronians.

“Keep this up and I’ll be using both of you as target practice after I’m done pummeling your afts to the ground!”

Bold to his namesake, Sunstreaker was about to give the weapons specialist a piece of his mind. A restraining pull on his spark caused him to look to his sides at Sideswipe, who gave him a pointed look. He then glanced to Prime. Optimus pinned him with an expression of disappointment. The golden yellow mech winced. Inclining his helm, Sunstreaker immediately stepped back, inclining his helm before muttering an apology.

Optimus turned to face them all, baritone barely hiding his discontentment.

“I understand you’re all upset and have every reason to. But we cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves while the culprit could very well still be at large.”

A pause.

“Now is not the time to speculate”, Optimus advised coolly. “What you all felt earlier was no facade. We found a human survivor, to which Ratchet is tending to as we speak. In the meantime, we will finish our operations here before rejoining them and will discuss this further back on base.”

They all looked at each other, not sure what to make of this situation, but got to work nonetheless.

Optimus felt a heavy load lodge itself into his chassis. Although they closed another case on not finding Sam, it now left so many more questions unanswered. And what did this new sparkling have to do with all this? His thoughts wandered aimlessly for a moment before he received an urgent message from Beachcomber.

_//Prime! I’ve located the energon source, but I don’t think you’re gonna like what you see.//_

_//Hold your position, Beachcomber. We are headed to your coordinates. Autobots, roll out.//_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: The sparkling awakens.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	3. Awaken from Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ratchet was running out of time and at a loss of what to do. His answer is given in a very unexpected way.

He glanced at the corner of his HUD. The clock read 01:07:03. He'd officially been functioning without rest for more than three weeks now. Today was going into this fourth, and yet there was just too much to do in so little time. Time was a fickle thing, especially on this planet. There simply wasn't enough of it, whether he was on Cybertron or here on Earth.

He glimpsed at the set of numbers counting downward flashing underneath the current time.

-25:01:00. The deadline.

Ratchet released a gust of hot air through his vents as he brought his attention back to the sample in front of him again.

It’s been a little over four days since they arrived back on the island. From the moment they found her the medic had been working double time to stabilize the battered girl. A regular human would have been long dead. But this child, whoever she was, barely cheated death within an inch of her life. Her injuries were extensive and there had been significant blood loss. However, the medic was more concerned with the high amount of toxins still circulating in her bloodstream. After a failed blood transfusion using red blood, he was able to stabilize her with vials of black blood that had been found upon a second thorough sweep of the emergency operations facility again.

Cliffjumper has felt they missed something and immediately bridged back to Mount Weather. Just as the girl went into hypovolemic shock after he administered a blood transfusion using red blood, the scout returned just in the nick of time with vials of the black blood. Since then, they've had to perform a full exchange transfusion once every eight hours to keep her alive. Whether they had been lucky to have found them or if they were starting to lose their edge, Ratchet wasn’t sure. He was simply grateful they had a temporary solution.

There hadn’t been any major complications from that point onward. She was healing at a rapid rate and got stronger every day. The only issue was that they had gone through twelve of the fifteen vials. Unfortunately, the scouts returned to Mount Weather for a third time but had no luck finding any additions. The CMO now was racing against the clock to create more of it, but every time he tried to combine the perfluorochemicals and oxygenators together, it wouldn’t merge to his liking. What in Primus’ name was he missing?!

He had searched high and low, going through millions of human medical records.

It was a race against the clock. Nothing was working.

Ratchet tried his hardest not to panic (he was chief medical officer, after all) but as the deadline loomed upon him, he truly thought to himself—was this his punishment for losing Sam? Was this his penance for losing his first newspark after his creator protocols remained dormant for millions of years? Was fate so cruel to let another newspark—a baby in human equivalence—be ripped from his grasp as a mockery of his incompetency?

Every time he thought of Sam, his own spark clenched painfully at the memory of Megatron’s attack on NEST base, at the exact moment when the warlord’s own creator protocols bonded with Sam’s fragile newspark one, ripping his own connection with Sam apart and whisked him away. To Primus knows where. There were times where he constantly travelled the neural net, automatically searching for Sam’s spark signature, but to no avail. The creator bond space was too quiet and downright unbearable some days. He learned to control his hay-wired creator protocols as the months passed, but sometimes they surged back up in waves.

The medic would never admit it out loud, especially using such words, but he undoubtedly cared for and loved Sam like his own. He had been powerless and useless to save him. And there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it, despite how much his processor core screamed at him to do something! Anything!

"Slag it!"

Ratchet slammed his servos on the worktable in frustration.

They had already lost so much. Allowing himself a moment of vulnerability, he thought to himself—how much more could he take?

Ex-venting again, the Autobot medic shook his helm, attempting to recalibrate his processing. No, this would not do. He needed to focus, god damn it!

They weren’t going to find or save anyone thinking like this.

"Ratchet?”

The voice brought him back to the present. He tried to focus on the equipment before him, but his focus was still not one hundred percent in-state. Deciding he needed a necessary distraction, he turned around and quietly approached the other side of his work station. His sensors were immediately trained on the body resting on the gurney, scanning it again.

 _Still in stasis_ , he noted.

His optics moved to meet the eyes of a middle-aged woman in a hazmat suit. She was typing into a human-sized datapad when she tilted her head towards him.

"Is everything okay?" she questioned. Ratchet inclined his helm.

"My apologies if I startled you, Dr. Lewis. How is her condition?" he asked.

"Her third transfusion was successfully completed without any repercussions this time. Vitals are stabilized as far as I can tell...”

Ratchet’s holoform materialized next to the physician, who handed him the datapad. He gave the report a cursory review before looking up to meet her tired brown eyes.

"Is something the matter, doctor?"

The woman clenched the railings on the side of the gurney, her normally serious expression suddenly emotional. It was something he wasn't used to seeing from the normally collective woman.

She glanced down at the young girl, who looked no older than twelve or thirteen. She grimaced at the idea of her niece or nephew being in her place. Although she hadn't seen them in a few years, she loved them dearly. Anyone hurting them in any way made her blood boil and stomach sick with disgust.

Dr. Lewis released a tense breath she didn't realize she was holding before providing him her answer.

"It’s just...I never believed in monsters. To me, they were nothing but a a child's bedtime story or a product of their imagination. But now I fear the real monsters are us."

The CMO regarded her. He knew this reflection all too well. The war that tore Cybertron apart was his teacher when he tried to figure this out himself. It took him a long while to come to terms with it, but he has made his peace. Or at least, thought he did.

"Monsters do not discriminate, doctor. They live inside each and every one of us regardless of species. But it is who we allow to overthrow the balance within is what determines our status as one.For us medics, all we can only do is help those we can and give them another chance to live. That is the least we can do."

The Autobots had been tight lipped about the Mount Weather mission. There was no mistaking that human fingerprints were all over it. He saw the gears were turning in Lewis’ head when she was debriefed on what they found there. Her, including a majority of the NEST operatives were born citizens of the United States, the country in which they had sworn their loyalty to. The fact that this all was found and happened in a former US government facility raised questions and concerns amongst them.

He also knew she had been scared at first to perform the necessary transfusions for their newest patient. A regular human would normally go through the procedure as necessary in a life-threatening situation to replace old blood with new blood. Three times a day was unheard of.

He handed her back the datapad, having already downloaded the information, before his holoform dissipated. She took that as her cue and climbed onto his waiting servo before he dropped her off at the decontamination area near the medbay entrance. Before she left, she turned to him.

“Thank you, Ratchet.”

The medic bid her good night.

He stood there staring at the ground the physician just occupied. It took him a moment for his processor to analyze the data from Dr. Lewis's report. The medic thought to himself, maybe he had to look at this from a different angle. He turned around, intent on performing a slightly different scan his patient. Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far.

He stopped dead in his tracks, optics wide as he stared at his patient, who was sitting upright on the gurney. Her blue-green eyes stared back at him.

The seconds passed like vorns as Ratchet tried to wrap his mind around how this was possible. The girl was in stasis not even ten minutes ago, how was she even awake? And how come his scanners didn't detect her presence?

Finally coming to, he reached out with his mental presence. He blinked in surprise. There was a very strong egress filter cascading over the girl's mind. It was nearly identical to Bumblebee's level of stealth. That explains why he couldn’t detect her.

The void in her mind however was worrisome.

"Zero G", she said.

Ratchet narrowed his optics as he inched closer to her. Physically, she wouldn't be able to do much to him. From what he could tell from his medical sensors, her body was weakened due to her lack of mobility and from the medical ministrations of constant transfusion. Mentally though, he wasn't sure. Her expression was blank but her eyes never left his as he inched closer. They were calculative and observing, analyzing his every move, but he noticed they were devoid of any light. They possessed the look of someone who had experienced too much.

"What do you mean, Zero G?"

"It’s the only way to re-create Nightblood.”

"Nightblood?”

She pointed with her chin to his workstation.

“That’s what it’s called—the mutated blood. Zero gravity is the only component that will combine the perfluorochemicals and oxygenators together. Otherwise, no matter what you do, you’ll never finish it.”

"I assume you understand that the only way that can be accomplished by going into space", he stated.

She cocked her head to the side.

"Can’t you get Wheeljack to build something for you?"

Ratchet tried to mask shock at the mention of the engineer’s name.

“How do you know that name?"

“Landmine told me about you—the Autobots. He said Wheeljack was an engineer, but he wasn’t sure if he was still alive.”

She was silent for a moment with a thoughtful expression plastered on her pale face.

“That must make you Ratchet, the chief medical officer.”

The chartreuse mech nodded affirmative. “Indeed, that is correct.”

She looked up at him with a ring of hopefulness in her voice. "Besides me, were there any other survivors? Any from your kind?"

Ratchet shook his head, voice solemn. “The remains we found there—both Cybertronian and human—were recovered. Unfortunately, we found them all off-line.”

He watched as her face morph from shock to anger to extreme sadness, looking utterly dejected. She clenched the fabric of her blanket tightly, fisting her hands until they turned white.

“I see...so it did work...” she places her hand over her spark.

The medic brought his brow ridges together. “What ‘worked’?”

“I must have somehow absorbed his spark. I can see his memories. I can see you and Wheeljack in some of them.”

A moment of silence passed before she burst into laughter, but it was hollowed and short-lived. In seconds, it morphed into a wave of sadness that ripped through her being before she began crying hysterically.

Ratchet’s holoform came to life before he wrapped his arms tightly around her shaking form. He felt her body go rigid at the sudden contact but that only lasted a second before she clutched his form and cried into it.

They stayed like that for a while rubbing circles on her back as she cried everything out. As she did, he felt a shimmer in his mind before he felt a small brilliant presence appear in the void, shining brightly. She eventually calmed down, releasing the occasional hiccup here and there. Once she was stable enough, he handed her a tissue. She thanked him before wiping her eyes dry.

“I’m sorry...” she said weakly.

“What for, child? Crying is considered a coping mechanism for your species. I believe it had done you well”, the medic explained.

She nodded and gave him a watery smile.

He decided to touch back on topic.

“Why did you ask about Landmine?”

“It’s nothing, I just..."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she inhaled deeply before exhaling.

“I just wanted to properly thank him. That’s all.”

A sniffle later, she asked, “Can I see him, at least to say goodbye?”

Ratchet remained silent for a moment before answering her back.

"I can't guarantee you access, but I can ask on your behalf."

“I appreciate it. Thank you."

The holoform nodded before it fizzled away. She jumped at the sudden disappearance before she turned her attention to the approaching metallic form looming above her. Her eyes widened as she took in the details of his frame and just how huge he was. She was both awestruck and afraid.

He immediately took note of the sudden constriction in her neck muscles. He held his arms up in surrender.

"I understand you may be frightened of me. You have every right to be", he stated. "But if you claim to have Landmine's memories, then you must know that I am not a threat. As my patient, it is my duty to ensure your health is at optimal levels."

When he didn't get any resistance, he continued, "I am going to check your vitals. Since you're awake now, the process will be a bit easier.”

She gulped and nodded, forcing herself to relax and allowed him to look her over.

He then asked her, “Do you prefer my original form or my human form?”

Not wanting to upset the mech, she replied, “Either is fine with me.”

He grunted before activating his holoform. The older male form gave her a light scrutiny, clad in doctoral dressing.

“I believe you’ll be more comfortable this way. Hold still.”

He began his routine check. Once satisfied, he began unplugging her from the machines, allowing her to use the restroom to relieve herself.

"Can you walk?"

She came down the gurney and took a few steps, striding confidently forward. She nodded.

He walked her onto his waiting servo, instructing her to latch onto a digit for support. The trip to the other side of the medical bay made her slightly dizzy, but luckily it was short lived.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

He instructed her where the toiletries were and how to use the toilet and sink. She thanked him and proceeded to close the door when she called out for him.

"Ratchet!”

The medic turned to meet her nervous gaze.

“My name is Madi...Madi Griffin. I figured you were going to ask me sooner or later.”

The medic nodded.

"Thank you, Madi. I'll be waiting outside right here. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

She shut the door and proceeded to take care of herself.

He made a note to speak with Carter about installing another facility on his workbench. It would make moving back and forth much easier.

Ratchet turned away and walked several feet out from the bathroom entrance. Suddenly, he received a ping from the Autobot leader.

He ignored the comment about him getting some recharge. Recharge, his aft.

_//Are you sure, Ratchet?//_

_//That's what she claims. I cannot confirm validation on this, but this will need to be investigated further. It may explain why those humans were experimenting with them in the first place.//_

_//I will let you know about her request.//_

_//Noted.//_

His processor wandered to Wheeljack. He reached out via the neural network if the engineer in question was in recharge or not. Receiving confirmation he was still working, Ratchet sent a ping back to the engineer for a custom order of high urgency that needed to be made immediately. They couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Time was ticking. He hoped to Primus this would work.

* * *

Inside the restroom, Madi rinsed her mouth, spitting out the last bits of toothpaste. Finished, she inhaled deeply, savoring the minty smell of the fluorine through her nostrils and how good it felt to finally be somewhat clean. Looking up, she caught her reflection and stood full-height. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the stranger in the mirror. Was this really her?

Her hair was dirty and unruly, broken and unhealthy without proper care; her skin was pale and sallow; dark circles rimming her eyes, the sparkle of her piercing eyes dimmed with exhaustion and guilt. The reality of the past several months hit her like a tsunami. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as tears began welling in her eyes again. She brought her hand to her chest, feeling the pulse of her spark within. Finally, after what felt like eons, the tears came rushing down. She cursed, but let them come anyway.

Madi backed up against the wall and slipped to the floor. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she sobbed into the fabric of the hospital gown. 

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." 

She didn't know how long she was sitting there crying, but when she heard a soft knock and Ratchet's voice, she wiped her tears away and scrambled to her feet.

"I-I'll be done in a moment!”

She rinsed her face with cold water.

_Get a grip, Madi. Don't show weakness._

Her eyes widened at the voice in her head, but quickly dismissed it as part of her imagination.

Taking a deep breath, Madi made to exit the restroom. Ratchet brought her back to the other side of the medbay and back onto the gurney. Her body suddenly felt like a ton of bricks, exhausted from the morning’s earlier event.

The pillow felt heavenly, making her eyelids drop faster every second. Ratchet hooked her back up and pulled up the covers, dimming the lights to its lowest setting.

"Sleep, little one. I'll see you in the morning.”

Upon command, Madi fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	4. Awaken from Within Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everyone's patience!! Between working 7 days a week/14-16 hours a day, sometimes it feels like pulling teeth. Updates will now be posted monthly. No promises on how long or short they'll be. So without further ado, Chapter 4! Enjoy! :)

Ratchet transformed into his alt mode and made his way toward’s Wheeljack’s laboratory, his mind in deep thought. The idea of being in the same vicinity as the engineer brought no peace of mind to his processors, but he shifted those thoughts away into a deeper part of his mind, focusing on the matter at hand. Unfortunately, what he needed only Wheeljack could fulfill. He would deal with his presence as long as it got the job done.

It took him less than five minutes to reach his destination before transforming seamlessly into his bipedal mode. Steadying himself, both mind and pedes, he entered through the hangar bay door.

In the middle of the hangar, a lengthy workbench dominated the center of the room, its surface piled with different types of prototypes and machinery the engineer was known to be working on. The medic’s optics travelled to the biohazard containers, vocalizer tight. Turning his attention elsewhere, he found Wheeljack rummaging through a pile of scraps, a smaller pile to this side as he fished further. His frame was tense, Ratchet could tell, and he probably wasn’t looking forward to speaking with him either. But necessities preceded personal interests.

Wheeljack came up from his crouching position and turned to the medic, greeting him with weary optics and rusty red dorsal fins that laid flat on either side of his helm.

“R-Ratchet! O-Oh good, you’re here! Um…I searched through what I could find, and with some time I believe I can complete it shortly, obviously with Perceptor’s help and Bluestreak’s too, and it should be optimized to use immediately, but—.”

Ratchet cut him off. “I’ve already sent for Perceptor and Bluestreak. How long will it take?”

Wheeljack jumped, his frame slightly shaking from the intensity of the medic’s terse voice. He inclined his helm, dreading the medic’s reaction.

“There’s only one problem. We need access to the Ark’s float system…”

Ratchet’s optics closed shut as he ex-vented heavily, roiling anger bubbling from within.

Wheeljack continued. “The Ark’s float system t-that was damaged when—.”

“Yes, I know”, Ratchet cut him off again. He opened his optics and met the engineer’s, a fit of righteous anger boiling across his circuits. The medic was barely keeping himself in control. 

“We all witnessed Megatron’s destruction of it, and much more.”

Tense, uncomfortable silence radiated throughout the room. Wheeljack, at a loss of what to say, stayed silent, fearing he would say something to upset the other mech further. Unfortunately, Ratchet’s impatience dwindled further as Wheeljack’s silence continued. Finally, he snapped.

“Slag it, Wheeljack! How useless can you be?! Think of something! Use the human’s technology, or find a way to combine it our own! By the Allspark, for being praised as one of the greatest minds sparked during the Golden Age, this is absolutely not your finest moment right now.”

Then he jutted a finger towards the engineer warningly. 

“If you think I will allow this useless version of you to continue functioning, then Megatron will be the least of your worries. Reset your processors and figure this out now, or so help me…”

Visibly deflating, the engineer’s spark clenched painfully at the medic’s words.

“I...I know you will never forgive me. I can’t even forgive myself for what happened to Sam.”

Wheeljack shrunk a bit more when the medic’s eyes turned deadly at the mention of his name. He knew his actions that day were unforgivable, but he also had no choice. He will forever be loyal to his primes, even if it meant leaving them to the enemy against his will.

“But I won’t stop, I will never stop! Not until we get him back. I swear to Primus, I won’t fail you!” he pleaded and begged.

Ratchet recoiled back, keeping his expression neutral, but he was internally conflicted. Despite how much he abhorred every single part of Wheeljack for letting Megatron take their ward, he had the facts after watching the recordings. He was well aware it wasn’t the engineer’s fault and that Sam had ordered him to flee using his title as Prime. The idiot. But it didn’t mean he had to like the situation in any sense.

It wasn’t until the moment Sam slipped out of their grasp, for how long, they will never know, that Ratchet came to realize how much he’d come to care for the human boy. For lack of better observance, it hurt him so much more than he expected. He then thought of Sam—his goofy, light-hearted demeanor and considerate spark. He wondered…if the boy were here by his side, what would Sam have wanted him to do? The answer came to him almost instantly and he wanted to shortcircuit himself.

He shifted his attention externally to Wheeljack, who was shifting from on his pedes, not speaking a word but he could feel the guilt and determination exuding from his electromagnetic field, him desperately vying for a solution.

Ratchet reset his own processing, allowing himself a moment of weakness before addressing the mech before him.

“Please, accept my apologies.”

Wheeljack’s helm whipped up to meet his, shock reverberated through his smaller frame. He angled his helm slightly, confused.

The CMO continued. “I am wrong. You are one of the greatest minds sparked and the best that I know, which is why I am here.” He turned to him, his optics glowing sincerely.

“And you’re right, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive you for leaving Sam, but if he was here now, he wouldn’t want us fighting amongst each other. You’ve had it worse, more than some of us.”

Ex-venting, he continued, ”Moving forward, I will no longer be a part of your grievance.”

Shuttering away his shock, Wheeljack immediately responded.

“I appreciate your considerate words, Ratchet, but there is no need. I understand your pain is far greater than mine. I wish deep in my spark to go back in time and change the turn of events, but...” He stopped himself there, knowing his words would be futile. Then he whispered softly. “I miss him too.”

Letting his optics fall to the ground for a moment, the medic released hot air through his vents once more. He was really starting to get tired of doing that.

Shortly, Perceptor and Bluestreak made their way into the hangar and spent the next hour or so discussing various options, attempting to look at all possibilities from all different angles. But all of them leading to the same issue. Frustrated, Ratchet stepped out to get some fresh air, as the human saying goes, and reached out on the neural net, taking a headcount of every spark on base, including Madi’s resting one back in medbay. Peering at his HUD, his timer read 23:32:01. He then heard Prowl’s voice over the comms authorizing Stratosphere to land with an inbound supply drop. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. He immediately sent a ping to Optimus via private comm and moments later, received the green light to move forward. He also made a mental note to grab a few things from the medbay. Heading back into the hangar, he called out to the other three mech’s and gave them the lowdown.

“Grab your gear. We launch in fifteen minutes.”

* * *

The first thing she noticed was how oddly comfortable she was. Her body didn’t ache and the throbbing headaches she had become accustomed to were all but nonexistent. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a dark void that stretched endlessly in all directions. Surveying her surroundings, she found herself floating in the middle of an endless void.

A soft light suddenly caught her attention. Looking down, she spotted an iridescent glow in front of her chest. It was small, yet vibrant, it's light pulsing in sync with her breathing. It looked so tiny and helpless, she thought, all here by itself in the vast emptiness. Curiously, she lifted a finger and gave it a gentle poke. Instantaneously beams of bright light seared through the darkness, blinding her. She brought her arms up to shield her eyes. Moments later sounds that were not there before flared to life. They were many and their frequencies were all different, but together it reminded her of birdsong. Bringing her arms down to her sides, her eyes widened as she was surrounded by clusters of glowing lights all around her, twinkling in the distance like a sky full of stars. It was beautiful and breathtaking.

One light was nearby, slowly passing not too far in front of her. Madi wanted to reach out and touch it, but her hand brushed against an invisible shield that wavered against her touch, like a ripple on the water’s surface. Instinctively, she knew this was the veil of her egress filter.

Deciding to shift her attention elsewhere, she focused on one cluster of pretty lights, listening closely. She could make out bits and pieces of conversation—something about weapons recalibration—before pulling her concentration somewhere else. Focusing on another, this time it was a single glowing light that had a winter-white glow to it. This one seemed to be resting as its frequency pulsed slow and steady. But waves of sadness radiated off of it. This piqued her interest. She continued doing this with a few other sparks, clusters, and singles, taking note of the different frequencies each emitted and their distinctive colors and wavelengths.

Out of the blue, something pricked her skin, causing Madi to jerk back painfully in surprise. Bringing her arm up, she watched as a trail of black blood slowly trickled its way down her wrist. Fear swelled over in unbalanced proportions, and the next thing she knew, a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling it down. Her body immediately went on autopilot, attempting to get away from whoever held her down. She couldn’t feel the straps yet, but it wouldn’t be long before they would bind her to the table and she would be at their mercy again.

Bolting up from the gurney, Madi’s arms thrashed against the assailant, effectively ripping out the tubes and wires connected to her arm, although the pain was the farthest thing from her mind. Dr. Lewis cried out in surprise and immediately tried to hold her down from injuring herself further. But Madi was faster and a second later, the physician fell to the ground, knocked out cold.

Fueled with adrenaline, Madi shakily scrambled off the gurney, frantically searching for an exit. Her mind was still in the neural net as she navigated her body down the platform, reaching ground level. Unconsciously, she didn’t realize her veil had dropped and she was broadcasting a klaxon of distress signals through the neural net. She came upon a large set of hangar doors and pushed past them, exiting the medical bay, and made a run for it.

* * *

The early morning hours within NEST was alight with activity. Soldiers, officers, and civilian administrative staff weaved themselves throughout the base, making their way to their respective locations. Given that, the sight of a young adolescent child running amok through the halls in a hospital gown and bloodied arm did more than garner a few raised eyebrows and questioning glances. 

As soon as she appeared, a pair of soldiers armed with assault rifles made their way forward, asking her if she was okay, but she merely pushed past them to make her way forward. One of them—a red-headed male—grasped her shoulder, concern laced in his voice. In response, Madi twisted her body, swinging her arm up and punched him square in the face. An audible crack echoed in the air the moment her fist made contact. His partner was stunned but quickly sprung into action and went to restrain her. Despite the size difference she used it to her advantage and started to formulate a plan. She swiftly maneuvered around him with ease, dodging all of his attempts to grab her. Crouched down, she swiped at his legs, knocking the soldier off his feet and making him land on the ground with a sickening thud. It happened so quick, the people around them barely registered what just occurred. Most of them scurried as far away as possible. Madi paid them no mind, sprang back up and continued running.

Blood rushed through her body, deafening the sounds of the outside world, her heart beating a mile a minute. More soldiers tried to stop her, but they weren’t fast enough. She tried not to engage them, and those that she did were left incapacitated. Not before long, an alarm blared to life and Madi knew her time limit just shortened.

She went back inside her mind, back to the dark void with all the pretty lights. Honestly had no idea where she was going, but her instincts told her to follow her gut. Taking a short breath in, she concentrated, allowing her mind to blank out and muffle the ensemble of bright lights and frequencies. Focusing, she picked up one particular light that emitted a soothing frequency that felt warm and welcoming. It was quite a distance away, but she was immediately attracted to it. Its form was different than the others. Instead of a pulsing glow, she could see it shimmer, glittering a soft pale lavender, like a winter amethyst. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she recalled having felt it before. Deciding to follow her instincts, she made her way towards that light, both in mind and body, letting it navigate her through the darkness and through the base, reaching the surface level. Making her way outside, the sun touched her skin for the first time since her imprisonment. Her pupils dilated painfully, unprepared for the sudden adjustment. Blinking away tears, she took in her surroundings.

The scent of seawater tingled her nostrils invitingly and the cool breeze of Diego Garcia caressed her cheek in salutation. Never in her one hundred and thirty-seven years of being alive had she ever experienced anything like this. Shallow Valley nor Sanctum could compare. It felt and looked amazing. It was a paradise.

A roaring engine sounded nearby, approaching fast. Searching, she found a vehicle of some sort—red and black—quickly making its way towards her. Her mind went back into the void, seeing the glittering light approach just as fast towards her. Realization slammed into her like a ton of bricks and before she knew what she was doing, the car had stopped several hundred feet from her location before it shifted, transforming into a very tall, bulky robotic organism.

Madi’s body went rigid as she craned her neck to face the being before her, breath caught in her throat. It was unlike anything she had seen before, and it was huge, looming over her at least fifteen feet tall. The head itself was about twice her height. And adorned on each side of its helm were two red horns, which she thought looked kind of cute. Her eyes met azure optics. All she could feel was a sense of safety coming from the being in front of her, radiating from its glittering light which she now realized was its spark.

It held up its arms and waited a moment to gauge her reaction before taking a cautious step forward. Madi didn’t dare move from where she was, grounding her feet to the earth. Leveling one another for a few more minutes, it finally crouched down on one knee and met her at eye level. Suddenly, something shifted in the void before she felt a warm embrace wrap around her mind and bump affectionately against her iridescent spark. ‘That’s right. You are safe here with us.’

Her eyes widened at his voice in her head. It was so familiar. If she could just pinpoint where she heard it—

A whizzing sound cut through the air from a distance. A little prick blossomed on the back of her right shoulder, causing Madi to wince at the sudden sensation. Before she could register what had happened, her sight became blurry. As her vision began to blackout on the edges, she saw someone fizzle to life in front of her before catching her falling body. The last thing she felt was a pair of arms holding her close, and a soft promise to explain everything when she reawakened before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	5. Choices

**Legend:**

_//Transformers//_ \- speaking via tacnet, comms, neural net

 _“Transformers”_ \- speaking in Cybertronian

 _Transformers_ \- self thought or memory

* * *

  
Mindful of her arm, Cliffjumper carefully lowered Madi to the ground before giving her a cursory scan, confirming she was completely unconscious. The scout let out a very humanized sigh, relieved. Always trust Ratchet to save the day.

He immediately winced before banishing the thought away. The sound of shifting metal garnered his attention and looked up to see Ratchet’s hand transform back to normal before he noticed the tight expression on the medic’s faceplates. His bipedal form stopped a good distance away before shifting into the familiar Search and Rescue Hummer. A moment later, his holoform fizzled to life about a foot from them and proceeded to gather up Madi’s limp form.

"Good aim, doc," the scout commented.

“Now is not the time”, he responded tersely.

Together, they made their way towards his waiting alt mode, depositing her onto the waiting gurney.

After moments of silence, Ratchet continued conversationally, “I would take that as a compliment if it were under different circumstances.” He tsked as he inspected her battered arm.

“I swear to Primus, you younglings are going to be the end of me. I’m getting too old for this shit.”

Cliffjumper raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised to hear Ratchet’s use of human expressions.

“You’re only old in frame, not in processor or spark”, he offered sagely. He moved to exit the cabin before halting, turning back to face the medic. “You look haggard, Ratchet. You should get some recharge soon.”

The medic scoffed tiredly. “Only once this whole mess has been sorted.”

In an afterthought, Ratchet called out to the scout, ordering him to accompany him back to base. Cliffjumper was about to open his mouth to question him, but the medic beat him to it.

“Unless you’d like to join a week in the brig with the twins, do as you’re told.”

He wasn’t sure if Ratchet was referring to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, or Skids and Mudflap, but either ones were a bad combination. He shivered at the thought of being stuck with them and effectively shut himself up. Saluting his affirmative, he disappeared. Ratchet closed the cabin doors before speeding back towards base. A red and black Bugatti Chiron followed not too far behind.

As they drove, status reports came through on the tacnet, revealing a handful of soldiers and civilians collapsing out of the blue, causing panic to spread amongst the humans. Ratchet immediately sent instructions for the Autobots closest to bring them directly to his medbay, not the hospital ward. Afterward, he pinged the medical corps and Perceptor, who confirmed the preparations were almost complete. He ordered Cliffjumper to assist the others topside and to meet him in medbay shortly.

Driving at top speed, Ratchet finally made his way into medbay, greeted with the room already alight with activity. The closest berths had already been converted into receiving stations for human patients with medical corpsmen scattered on each one, dressed fully in protective equipment. Perceptor and Bluestreak were hauling in some additional machinery while Wheeljack assisted setting everything up with their human counterparts. Ratchet barely gave them notice as he stopped in front of his workstation before he transformed back into bipedal mode, holding Madi close to his chassis. Dr. Lewis immediately came forward as he deposited her onto the gurney. His holoform appeared a second later, making an unsatisfactory sound at the sight of bloodied bedsheets.

“Do you feel any nausea or fatigue?” he asked, running a cursory scan on the physician.

“Negative. A little shaken, but nothing I can’t handle”, she replied, handing him a bag of fluids before continuing her work. He nodded, accepting her response, satisfied in its alignment to his data report. They continued on in silence albeit the terse orders for required items as they stabilized their runaway patient.

Cliffjumper’s alt mode soon entered through the medbay doors. Corpsmen instantly came forward to receive the newest batch of patients. Once his compartment was empty, he reversed before shifting into his full height. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He wasn’t used to seeing the place so crowded. He turned back around just in time to see Ratchet strap Madi in place.

“Um, don’t you think that’s a bit excessive?”

The medic turned to face him and looked at the scout as if he had sprouted another head. “Excessive? Hardly. She completely concealed her presence when she awoke the first time before I departed.” He secured the last strap before adding on, “I do not intend to make the same mistake twice.”

“Ratchet, you can’t blame yourself for this. No one knew this would have happened.”

“I’m fully aware of that”, Ratchet responded scathingly. “However, that does not excuse the fact that extra security detail could have been arranged.”

“C’mon doc, don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure everything’s going to be just fi—.”

_“There is nothing_ fine _about this!”_ Ratchet snapped at him in Cybertronian.

Cliffjumper, completely unprepared, took a step back reflexively. This garnered the attention of the other Autobots, who quickly turned back to their work.

_“There is a radiation leak, NEST has halted in operations, we have over thirty high-trained operatives incapacitated—half of them in critical condition, and people affected with radiation exposure. All of this, caused by a single_ child. _And all because of my incompetence. She’ll be wanted for dead by the time this news gets to them.”_

He winced at his words. _“Prime won’t let that happen.”_

_“Prime is many things, but he is only one person. Even he only has so much sway over the leaders of this world.”_

_“She just panicked and overreacted. That’s a natural response of any living being”,_ he countered.

_“So is eliminating a threat, even if it’s not understood.”_

A heavy tension settled in the air between them.

_“So what, we just sit on the sidelines and do nothing? That’s not who we are!”_

Ratchet opened his mouth to respond back but was cut off when the roar of a familiar sounding engine come towards them fast. A red and blue semi entered the medical bay before it halted, splitting and shifting into its bipedal mode. The scout inclined his helm in greeting while Ratchet merely leveled him with a glare.

Optimus Prime addressed them in Cybertronian, starting with Cliffjumper first. 

_“You are right, it is not our way. You have my word, she is safe with us. Nothing is happening to anyone.”_ He then turned to the medic.

_“If I may speak with you privately?”_

Ratchet sent the scout back out to the surface. Once gone, both mechs exited into a nearby empty corridor. The Autobot leader turned towards the medic, his expression inscrutable.

“I have already informed them of what had occurred here this morning. They know everything.”

Ratchet’s processors short-circuited before his optics widened with shock. “You did what?!” 

His bipedal form came up to meet Optimus’s frame, just about ready to tear the Autobot panel by panel. Various levels of confusion, anger, and betrayal radiating off of him in waves. However, the Autobot leader stood his ground. 

“What were you even thinking, Prime?! Did seeking counsel from the rest of us, like your senior officers, even cross your processors?”

“I did what was best for all of us”, he calmly responded. “ The variables of her allegiance are endless and even less certain is the potential new threat we now face.  They did not question our level of security, however, it is something they are watching very closely.”

“And the child? Explain to me, how in the Pits she is ‘safe with us’?”

“A compromise. I’ve renegotiated the details of the agreement to ensure that it more or less falls into our favor.” The medic listened intently as Optimus explained into further detail the parameters of the negotiation. Each word caused the sense of dread in Ratchet’s spark to swell until it overflowed, flooding his circuitry with unease. 

Ratchet shuttered his optics closed, ex-venting hot air through his vents. “Do you understand how many loopholes are in this?”

“Very much so. But without her alive, we’ll never know how or why our people were there or what happened to them. This is the best option possible.” He paused a moment before continuing. “I also believe in second chances. We were given one here on Earth and it is our duty to extend that same right to all sentient beings who are deemed worthy as well.”

The medic looked at him expectantly, scoffing. “Is that the fancy bullshit you so suavely enthralled them with?”

Optimus raised his chin plate, immune to Ratchet’s sardonic tone. “I simply gave them an ultimatum. It was not a difficult choice for them to make.”

Ratchet shook his head disbelievingly. “I absolutely do not miss my days as Senator. At all.” He then turned serious again. “Who decides if she has the right to live or die?”

Optimus was quiet for a moment before answering truthfully. “That decision will be made when the time comes.”

Quiet settled between them as they took a moment to absorb the entirety of their situation. Ratchet turned to make his way back inside, but stopped before activating his private comms.

_//My apologies for doubting you, Prime.//_

_//Your apology is not required, old friend. These months have been the hardest on all of us, but we will prevail.//_

Suddenly, one of the doctors sent an emergency message on the tacnet. Ratchet’s holoform disappeared from his workstation before fizzling to life on the nearest berth.

"Report, Miller."

"Their radiation levels have spiked up again twice and I've already administered the highest doses as you instructed. I don't know what else to do."

Ratchet and Optimus re-entered, the medic scanning the patients once more while simultaneously receiving reports on his secondary system of more incoming patients en route to medbay. According to his calculations, at this rate, they would be in overflow by noon and their first set of casualties within the next hour. He tsked frustratingly. Glancing over at Madi's resting form, a thought sparked in his processors before he pulled up her readings from a few days ago and compared them to the most recent ones from his new patients. Seeing the connection, he sent the data packet over to Optimus to review and confirmed with Wheeljack to get the serum ready. They truly only had one solution left at their disposal. But he couldn't bring himself to make such a requisite decision, not without proper counsel. Optimus quickly answered him back.

_//You have my permission. Do what you must to keep them alive. We shall deal with the repercussions once this passes.//_

Signaling the engineer, Wheeljack carried over a large biohazard container before depositing it on one end of the berth. Ratchet went over to inspect the contents before reaching out and grasped a handle. He gave the vials a once over before he positioned the syringe gun directly over the humerus bone and injected his first patient with the Nightblood serum. He carefully watched the influx of data stream onto his HUD. The effects were immediate. Within minutes, the radiation levels began to slowly drop, becoming metabolized and repurposed. 

“Dear Primus", he whispered, awed. He could feel Optimus’s curiosity peak from behind.

The medic immediately gave out new orders, the corpsmen making quick work. He monitored the continuing stream of medical data as they administered the serum to the other affected patients. The overall positive reaction to the blood alteration was enough for Ratchet to allow a slither of relief into his processing. As noon dawned upon them, nearly a third of patients were cleared, confirmed negative on any acute radiation symptoms. 

Ratchet had never seen anything like it before. Watching it happen with Madi, he knew what to expect. Yet watching the realtime effects of the blood alteration was something else entirely. He embed the information into this core database, making a note to study it later. There was appeal for having the trait, he noted. However, they knew nothing else about how the Nightblood would affect converted humans long term. It was a risky move they would have to watch very closely. He sent an encrypted report to Optimus who had taken his leave earlier to handle a situation topside. Pushing all other thoughts and incoming reports to this secondary processor, he continued working on the remaining two-thirds of the room, hoping for the same results.

* * *

Madi awoke to the sound of voices. Most of it sounded like muffled jargon, so she didn’t bother trying to understand it. Groggily she cracked her eyes open, only to snap them shut, and hissed at the bright lights. A headache bloomed behind her temple, sending painful pulses up the side of her head. She blinked away tears before deciding to try again.

As her vision came back into focus, the blurry surroundings morphed into coherent forms revealing people moving about and various machines stationed all around her. From a far distance, there were rows of what looked to be hospital beds occupied with people. She squinted her eyes, thinking quizzically to herself—why was everyone walking sideways on floating platforms? 

Attempting to get a better view of where she was, Madi tried to sit up but was immediately pulled back by something rigid. Looking down, the blanket that covered her fell away to reveal restraints strapped across her chest, torso, arms and legs. Madi barely registered herself hyperventilating as she tried to control her mind as it spun through various reasons of why she was still _there_. Had it all been a dream? Or had they injected her with another psychosis-inducing serum and that was hell laughing at her in the face the entire time? Each one went from bad to worse as the seconds turned into minutes. When she felt a pair of hands grasp her shoulders, Madi completely lost it.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, thrashing around violently, trying to get as far away as she could. The voices surrounding her became louder, tones commanding and urgent. Something warm pressed itself against her forehead, holding her head firmly down on the gurney. The feeling of tranquil filled her mind suddenly, evaporating the fight within her. Her body sagged against the gurney, like a puppet cut from its strings. A voice blossomed in her mind, its tone soft yet commanding.

_//Be calm, child. No one is going to hurt you.//_

She tried to fight against it, but quickly lost her strength. How many times had they told sold her that lie? Eyes shut tightly, she felt tears start streaming down the sides of her face. For the first time since the day they found her, Madi finally allowed the emptiness that seeped itself into her chest rip her resolve apart. It was merciless and dragging her deeper and deeper into a dark abyss with no way out.

“I’m begging you, please kill me”, she choked. “Just make it quick.”

Ratchet reeled back before releasing another pulse—stronger this time. He tightly wrapped her spark with his own presence, careful to hide his growing rage. His spark clenched painfully as he continued pulsing calm reassurance into her mind.

_//You are strong, child. You will survive this too.//_

Doubting the sincerity of the voice, she queried back. _//How can you be so sure of that?//_

_//Because knowing Landmine and your own creators, they wouldn’t have sacrificed themselves if it did not ensure your survival. You have every right to be frightened of me, but if you look through Landmine’s memories, you will know that I am not a threat.//_

A sense of familiarity pierced the barrier, slowly bringing back a recent memory as the darkness around her crumbled into a soft light. She prayed desperately that this wasn’t a dream. Because if it was, she would to take her own life right then and there. Peeling her eyes open, Madi’s vision filled with a familiar face. A name floated to the surface of her mind as recognition finally set in.

“R-Ratchet?” she rasped.

“Yes, Madi, it’s me.” He dabbed the tears and sweat off her face before placing his hand at the edge of her hairline, stroking it calmly. “I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose and out your mouth. Just like so.”

Madi forced herself to following his instructions. She inhaled deep, before breathing out her mouth. In and out. In and out. A couple repetitions later, she felt a little bit better. Ratchet hummed approvingly as her levels of epinephrine and cortisol started dropping to tolerable levels. He grabbed a bottle from the overbed nearby, twisting the cap off before inserting a straw. He supported the back of her head and held it up to her lips. 

“Drink, the water will help the dryness in your throat.”

She took a sip as instructed. Not realizing how thirsty she was, the bottle was near empty once she was finished. A wave of exhaustion washed over her.

“Where am I?”

Ratchet stowed the bottle away, regarding her closely before answering. “You’re back in my medical bay. Do you remember anything since you last awoke?”

At the question, she raked through her memories but drew up a blank. A spasm from her legs suddenly made her aware of how much her body hurt all over. Everything was a hazy mess. Shaking her head, she muttered, “I don't know...it’s all really a blur…”

The look on Ratchet’s face snapped her attention back into focus. Her gut instantly began doing summersaults. Something wasn't right. 

Swallowing nervously, she tried to rifle through the haze again when something caught her attention. In the distance, a tube running from a machine to the needle taped on the back of a patient’s hand had a black substance flowing through it. She studied the other people around them, dressed in white suits with not an inch of their bodies exposed at all. Her hands twitched when she slowly recognized the faces of the patients as the soldiers from earlier sporting bandages and sutures. Instantly, everything came flooding back—her waking up the night before and the escape. It her like an exploding dam.

“Oh my god, what have I done?”

* * *

Lying on the gurney, still strapped in, Madi forced herself to rest per Ratchet’s instructions. She discovered after their discussion that things obviously looked different at an angle when lying down and that those platforms were called berths. She didn’t want to bother Ratchet on questions about other parts of the room, despite how alien yet cool it looked. _Jordan would have loved to see this,_ she thought to herself. Her heart sank at the thought of her friend and brother-figure. Not wanting to cause herself more heartache, she stowed the thought away, deciding there were better things to focus on.

Watching the corpsmen navigate the converted berths while tending to their patients was interesting in itself. Despite the provided distraction, it didn’t dissuade the guilt she harbored.

Around a quarter to eight, Ratchet’s bipedal mode approached, his holoform standing on an open servo. Once his arm lowered to the platform, the holoform stepped off and made his way forward, a tray in hand. Madi’s nose picked up the tantalizing aroma of hot food. Her mouth watered instantly, a wave of hunger she didn’t realize was there before made itself known. He set the tray on the nearby overbed table before coming back to check on her.

“Despite the fanatics this morning, you’ve been well behaved for the remainder of today. I figured you’d enjoy some solid food to upstart your metabolism again.” He went to remove the restraints, although he left the ones on her legs and feet in tact and pushed the overbed closer into position. Madi looked down to inspect the tray’s contents. Her stomach growled loudly and painfully at the sight of broth soup. There were crackers set next to the bowl, alongside a clear bottle of liquid—water, she presumed, like the one from earlier. She furrowed her eyebrows at the fourth item on the tray—yellow and curved.

Taking note of her confusion, Ratchet explained that it was a fruit was called a banana and held many nutritional values for the human body when consumed, such as vitamin C, manganese, and potassium. A memory popped up with Clarke talking about the different fruits and vegetables she studied about during her time on the Ark about Earth before the first _praimfaya_. Curiously, she wondered what it would taste like.

Glancing over to Ratchet, she wasn’t sure which one to start with first. He suggested the soup, since it would be easiest on her stomach. He asked his she needed help, but she declined. Steeling herself, Madi’s hand shakily picked up the spoon before dipping it into the soup. Mindful of the temperature, she blew a few times before closing her mouth around it. Her eyes fluttered shut as she moaned at the taste. It was so rich and smooth. Madi took a moment to memorize it before scooping up another spoon and then another. She didn’t care that the medic was watching her eat. It had been so long since she had an actual meal. Never again would she ever take a simple bowl of soup for granted.

Finishing the bowl clean alongside the crackers, her attention was brought to the banana. “How do I eat it?”

Ratchet proceeded to show her how to properly peel the stem portion using the thumb, and instructed her to peel off the other sides as she ate along. It was firm, yet soft in texture, with a touch of sweetness. Remembering how the medic opened the bottle earlier, she went to go twist the cap and went to go down the entire bottle when Ratchet’s grasped her wrist, stopping her.

“Take small sips at a time over the course of thirty minutes, otherwise your stomach will cramp painfully. Understood?” Madi nodded, less hasty, and followed through as instructed.

“Thank you for the food. It was delicious.”

He made a noncommittal sound. "There's no need. Having you dead wouldn't do us any good now would it?" he responded back, voice dripping in dry sarcasm.

The sides of her lips quirked up slightly. He reminded her a bit of Murphy. 

“How do you feel?” he asked, pushing the overbed away from her.

“Better.” 

He hummed. “Do you need to use the restroom?”

“Yes, please.” He unstrapped her completely, carefully guiding her onto his waiting servo and dropped her off at their destination.

Quickly relieving herself and washing her face, she wondered if she could maybe take a shower. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. Looking into the mirror, her eyes went to the scar that fully healed on her forehead. Gently, she ghosted her fingers over it.

_Does it hurt? Why did you do that to yourself?_

_So I never forget who I am._

Swallowing down a swell of emotion, Madi focused on the pulse of her spark, glowing vibrantly with life.

_Smile for me, will ya? We’ll both find a way out of here. Promise._

The memory was instantly cut off when she felt a presence suddenly near the vicinity. Madi faintly recognized it, although she didn’t know who it belonged to. It suddenly halted in movement. She could feel it pivot towards her before a sense of amusement suddenly reverberated from it. Madi froze, caught like a deer in the headlights, quickly pulled up her egress. Trying to stay focused, she unlocked the door, having completely forgotten Ratchet waiting right outside. She yelped, nearly colliding into him.

Madi flushed in embarrassment, although Ratchet didn’t say anything and brought them back over in silence. She lied back down on the gurney and waited. After a few minutes, Madi threw him a questioning glance when he didn't move to hook or strap her back in.

“Those restraints will not be necessary."

Madi whipped her head around to the source of the baritone voice. Her view was immediately filled with the upper body of a mech several feet taller in comparison to Ratchet’s chartreuse frame. The mech sported a deep blue plating adorned with red flames. His presence was all commanding and powerful, his spark brilliant in its shine. Her eyes widened as she quickly shot up, recognizing its signature from before.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Madi Griffin. I am Optimus Prime, Supreme Commander of the Autobot forces here on Earth. Ratchet has informed me that your recovery is making progress.”

Her eyes widened at the sound of location. She flinched at the word “Prime”, reminding herself she was no longer on Sanctum. If they took notice, they didn’t show it. She pushed down her growing apprehension and inclined her head respectfully. 

“The pleasure is mine, Supreme Commander. Thank you for your continued hospitality. Your people have treated me well.”

Optimus acknowledged her before turning to speak with Ratchet in a series of clicks and whirls. Madi looked up, piqued with interest at the sound of their conversation. 

Mid talk, Optimus spoke to the medic in English. "Ratchet, we have discussed this already." At the tone of his voice, the medic narrowed his optics. The two faced one another and she instantly knew they were talking privately. How, Madi wasn't sure.. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, gripping the bedsheets below tightly.

After what felt like forever, Prime turned back to face her again.  “If you would please, come with me.”

Ratchet helped her off the gurney before stepping onto the medic’s waiting servo. The holoform fizzled out of existence as he brought her close to his chassis before exiting out of medbay.

As they made their way down the bridge, Madi tried to take notice of the surroundings, however her attention became drawn to the warm metal Ratchet’s chest plates. Lulled by her comfortable position, she laid herself against it.

The trio made their way down South Quad before entering an empty room. Feeling the surrounding change, Madi peered between the medic’s fingers to get a better view of the place. It was completely unoccupied. From the looks of it, it seemed to be the main communication room, reminding her of the captain’s bridge on theEligius IV mothership. One part of the room was an entire wall of monitors, illuminating the darkness with a light blue glow. A dark colored insignia—one she had seen before—displayed at the center of each screen.

Ratchet’s servo shifted slightly, causing her to look down where she spotted the empty scaffold. Instantly his holoform appeared, carefully guiding her onto the platform. He procured a chair, but Madi politely declined. She stabilized herself against the railing, taking in a deep breath. Quelling the trepidation pooling in her chest, the thirteen-year-old faced the two Autobots head on.

“We’re not just here to talk, are we?”, she questioned Optimus.

Optimus hummed in confirmation. “Indeed. We have many questions, and I am sure you have your own. Your discovery at Mount Weather was most unexpected and we are grateful to have found you alive. However, it begs the question of whether you are an enemy or an ally. What happened this morning raises the concern of whether you are to be trusted, given we know nothing of you or your past, or even the people who supposedly imprisoned you.”

Madi listened intently, nervous. Optimus’ expression remained impassive when he added further.

“The leaders of this world other than myself have decided whether you should be eliminated at all costs. However, I have convinced them otherwise on the premise on one requirement."

All color drained from her face. The pulse in her ears beat a mile a minute. A sickening realization ripped through her entire body as if she had been dunked in ice-cold water. She was being sent to die without even the right to fight for her life. Her fists clenched so hard, it drew blood.

Ratchet was ready to grab her hands, but he stopped short when she countered back.  “How do I prove to them that I am not the enemy?”

Optimus paused enough to let the silence settle before supplying his answer.

“We must first prove your innocence by analyzing your memories to validate your allegiance. You will submit yourself completely to Ratchet. If he proves that you are in fact not a threat, you will be sworn to oath and trained as one of our own to combat against any and all threats to Earth and its people, starting with the ones who captured you.”

“How will he see my memories?” she asked.

“Given your special case, Ratchet will initiate a connection with you through a Creator Bond where he can access your memories.”

Tilting her head curiously, “What is a Creator Bond?”

The medic answered this time. “It is a neurological connection between mech and sparkling. It will allow me to access your memories and also help you mature your own spark.”

Her brow creased at the unfamiliar terminologies. “Can it be broken?”

“No, once established it is for life.”

“And what will happen if I become one of your people?”

“You will be an equal citizen of Earth, barring your identity and existence remain hidden for the benefit of your safety and role in our cause.”

Madi's mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. So many questions piled on top of each other, she had to blink furiously to keep herself in check, otherwise she was going to have a mental breakdown. As the storm brewed in her head, one question pulled her insides, about ready to snap like a rubber band. It had come to fruition the moment she reawakened and she questioned it every single waking moment. 

Ratchet eyed the child, faceplates contorted in slight annoyance. "If you've been thinking about it for so long, spit it out."

"Why?" The question came out with such intensity, the two Cybertronians shifted a few centimeters on their pedes. "Why save me when you could have just left me there to die?" Her body shook as a drumming pulse filled her ears.

Ratchet turned to fully face her, optics narrowed. The look on his face made her shrink inside perturbed. For a fleeting second, she wondered if she had just offended him. She could feel him rolling over his mind on what to tell her. Knowing she might not like his response, Madi tried to prepare herself for the inevitable. Not that she had much of a choice at this point, although she was willing to entertain the benefit of the doubt.

The two Autobots faced each other. Although they did not speak audibly, she felt as though they were possibly communicating privately. After what felt like an eternity, they turned their attention back to her. Ratchet looked at her as if the answer was obvious. Optimus however remained neutral, giving nothing away. 

Madi was taken aback by the uncharacteristic level of sincerity laced in his voice, not expecting that at all. “Because we don’t leave one of our own behind.”

It took a second for the words to sink in. Her eyebrows crunched in query trying to decipher his words.

"I don't understand. I just happened to absorb some energy into my body, but I'm still human. We're barely the same except for that and having a conscience."

"That may be true", Ratchet countered, "but simply because your human body is organic and not metal in nature does not null the fact that you possess a spark. In human equivalence, it is considered your essence--your soul. Your spark is extremely young, just recently on-lined, and in our species, newsparks are precious and are to be protected."

Madi interjected right afterward, "Even if they've were a killer?"

Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her, unimpressed. "Every species has the capacity to kill, for all the right or wrong reasons. I'm you're you had your own."

Madi wet her lips, looking down to gather her thoughts. One question still remained.

“And so what if I refuse?”

The medic ex-vented a snort, although his faceplates were still serious.

"Well, unfortunately for you, that choice is not yours to make." The tone of his voice was no-nonsense yet it yielded a layer of meaning she hoped wasn't true. Unfortunately, Prime's words only solidified her fear.

"Execution will be the only other alternative, should you chose not to cooperate."

The entire world fell away, leaving her falling endlessly again. Suddenly, she was back at the tavern on Sanctum, the newly revived Sheidheda breathing down her face. His hands, slick with blood, gripped her jaw tight with enough force to break it.

_Kneel for me right now, Madi. And I'll let you live. Refuse to kneel…_

Had she come from one world into another, only to be ruled by another higher being that would decide her fate? She grimaced mirthlessly inside, disgusted at herself, and aghast with her position. 

A flicker licked the edges of her senses, breaking the flashback. Following the pull, her eyes met Ratchet’s blue optics. The azure glowed brightly filled with an emotion that struck her deep inside.  Vehemently, Madi reminded herself to stay in the moment, and that she was no longer in the tavern and that the Dark Commander wasn’t here. In fact, she didn’t even know if she was still even on the same planet. Probably not, she thought wryly. The Primes of Sanctum be damned if they were hiding this right under their noses too.

There was only one way to find out. If she wanted to survive, the choice was clear.

Backing away from the scaffold’s edge, she gave the Autobot leader one final look before kneeling, bowing her head low.

“I, Madi kom Louwoda Kliron Kru, swear my fealty to you, Optimus Prime, and I accept your offer.” Lifting her head, organic blue-green eyes met azure mechanical optics.

“When do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did! Unfortunately, I did end up burning out the past two weeks so this was uploaded a bit later than expected. Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.
> 
> Music Inspirations: Floaters by Demented Sound Mafia, Infinity by Amaranthe


	6. Initiating the Bond Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madi makes a new friend, the Creator Bond is initiated. Complications make itself known and they are not alone. Part 1 of 2. Enjoy!

The travel back to medbay had been uneventful, although it hadn’t stopped the knots twisting in the pit of her stomach. She had wanted to get started on the process immediately, but Ratchet had warned vehemently that she was to do nothing until she was stabilized to his liking. Quickly, Madi came to learn that arguing against Ratchet was a lost cause. It had been three days since then and he hadn’t relented since.

She sat upright on the gurney with her legs crossed, hands resting above her ankles. Ratchet recommended meditating to practice her concentration. It would serve useful in preparation.

The sound of voices caused her eyes to open. At the edge of the platform, she spotted a male standing in front of Dr. Lewis. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but from the tone of their voices, his impassive look, and her tight stature, they were arguing. She noticed he also wasn’t wearing any protective gear either.

The stranger locked eyes with her for a moment. Madi flushed in embarrassment, instantly recognizing him from her attempted escape the other day. He quickly turned back his attention to the physician, eyebrows quirked in a cocky manner.

Dr. Lewis glanced back at her before saying something to him and quickly left. The male rolled his eyes before making his way forward. A wry smile graced his lips before he pointed to the empty chair.

“You mind?”

Madi looked to the chair, then back to him. “No, go for it.”

She watched him closely as he made himself comfortable. Her eyes flitted from him to Dr. Lewis, who was watching them from afar with obvious displeasure. Despite the hazmat suit’s bulkiness, she could feel the physician’s piercing glare through the face shield.

“Um, shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Oh c’mon, not you too”, he exasperated.

He looked between the two females before leaning in. “Look, I just wanted to chat. Besides, what Ratchet doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Madi briefly wondered if this man had a deathwish. She decided to send him a silent prayer, just in case. Her attention became drawn to the sutures peeking out under the bandages covering the center of his face. She turned her attention away to the floor with sudden interest.

Clenching her hands, she blurted, “I’msorryforbreakingyournose.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

Closing her eyes, she repeated again, slower. “I’m sorry for breaking your nose.”

There was a moment of tense silence before he burst into a boom of laughter. Madi jerked back, wondering briefly if the meds finally got to him.

“Oh, you’re funny." Stifling his laughter, he went to rub at his face, cursing at the bandages. He inspected the smear of black on his finger.

“This is some fuckin’ wicked shit." He grabbed a tissue, wiping his finger clean. "Y’know, for a little shrimp, you gotta nasty punch.” He offered her a wide grin, eyebrows quirked. “I'm gonna get back into shape real soon so we can settle the score.”

Madi gave him a doubtful look. “Yeah, well if Ratchet doesn’t clear you, you’re out of luck.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I don't know about the others, but I’m as healthy as a horse. I'll be out of here in no time.”

Mentally facepalming herself, Madi thought to herself, this man was clearly beyond saving.

His facial expression suddenly sobered. “Y’know, when they found you, we weren’t sure you’d make it.”

They looked at one another, Madi thrown off by the sincerity in his voice. He offered her a smile. “I’m glad you’re doing alright.”

Looking away, she felt her cheeks heat at the knowledge that people cared for her, a complete stranger. The feeling was bittersweet.

“And look at you now, all healthy and awake, knocking the daylights out of everyone like it’s Tuesday.”

Madi felt her ears heat up in embarrassment. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone!”

The sound of his voice reverberated as he choked out another laugh at the sight of her reddened face.

“I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces. Those people you knocked out—Jesus, sweet Mary and Joseph! You really handed their asses to them real good.”

“Hey! You're on of them too! Remember?”

“Yeah, well, at least I had fun,” he admitted with a toothy grin. He extended out a hand. “The name’s Killian, by the way.” 

She hesitated a moment before grasping his. “I’m Madi.”

He nodded approvingly. “Madi. I like that.”

They chatted for a while longer, glazing over light topics such as likes, dislikes, hobbies, and of the such. She discovered that he was from a place called Boston. He went on about disliking a group called the New England Patriots to recommend never to eat hot wings from the mess hall unless she was curious to know what battery acid tasted like. As the minutes ticked by, she found Killian an enjoyable presence, despite his loud-mouthed demeanor. She had never heard someone curse so much in one breath with so much passion. Her ribs rebelled furiously as she struggled to keep her laughter at bay.

As they talked, she tried to keep her answers as vague as possible, not sure what information she was allowed to divulge.

“I do enjoy sketching and playing soccer”, she told him.

“Um, that my friend is where we part ways.”

“Huh?! Why?”

Before he could respond, they were interrupted as Dr. Lewis made her way over to them. “Time’s up, lieutenant. Let’s go.”

“But we're just getting to know one another!” he exasperated.

The physician narrowed her eyes, facial expression all business. “Now.”

He sighed dramatically, before turning back to Madi. “See this? That’s how they treat me around here. Self-righteous bastards. Ow!” he exclaimed, turning to face the physician, who had a stack of paper rolled in her grasp.

“We had a deal unless you’d like to face the music with Ratchet instead.”

Hands up in surrender, he quickly replied, “Alright, I’m going. I’m going.” He turned to face Madi.

“Maybe the next time, we can go catch up some more, maybe grab Chinese in the mess while we’re at it, yeah?”

Madi tilted her head curiously. “Chi-nese? What's that?”

He blinked a few times before exclaiming. “What do you mean, 'what's that'? Y’know, like lo mein, General Tso’s chicken, hot and sour soup?”

She shook her head slowly. Eyes bulging dramatically, he gasped.

“You’ve never had Chinese food? That is a crime! Wait, have you ever had a cheeseburger before? Y'know what, don't answer that!” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you even know what a cheeseburger is?”

Again, she shook her head, feeling a little dumb. Killian swore something that sounded decidedly unflattering.

“Dear Lord and Christ, we have to air this girl to the nearest McDonald’s! Alright! So here's the plan. The next time me and you hang out, I’m hitting you up the basics of human survival food." With a dramatic inhale, he continued, "The perfect cheeseburger will change your life forever.”

Stunned by the fervor of his words, Madi simply nodded her head. Nothing he just said made sense, but she just rolled with it.

Behind him, Dr. Lewis rolled her eyes before turned him around and pushed him towards the ramp. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a quick salute.

The rest of the day passed on in relative calm. There was no sign of Ratchet either. An unknown corpsman dressed in protective gear came by around lunchtime to deliver a tray of food before disappearing without a word. She ate her meal in silence, pleased to see it was the same as what she had for dinner yesterday. Once finished, her body decided a nap was in order and slept the rest of the afternoon away.

When she stirred hours later, Madi found herself lying inside a confined space area. The gurney below her shook gently as she inspected the small space lined with medical equipment. She yelped when someone appeared to life next to her.

“Oh my god! Ratchet?”

He came forward to steady her before she fell off, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. “You’re safe. We’re inside my cabin. We’re simply transporting you to a different location. There’s nothing to fear.”

Understanding dawned on her. Sobering, she inclined her head, nodding once before deciding to ask, “Where are we going?”

“To the Ark.”

The ride was smooth, although it didn’t quell the knots that returned from days earlier. She braced herself as they went up the ramp leading into the Ark’s entryway and weaved their way inward. It was a good several minutes before the medic’s alt mode came to a halt. Guiding her out of his cabin, Ratchet transformed into his bipedal mode. He knelt down and proffered his servo.

“Hang on tight.”

He brought her up to one of the berths, depositing her with his holoform. She was surprised to see another person already up there waiting for them.

“Hello, Madi. I am Cliffjumper. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Knitting her eyebrows, she tried to recall if she ever saw him before. He sounded familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint from where. Going internal for a moment, she scanned the area but only felt Ratchet’s presence close by. She couldn’t detect any others. Deciding not to put too much thought into it, she brought herself outward. Madi responded back, “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Cliffjumper will be assisting us once we establish the bond. Come sit here.”

She followed him to the gurney positioned in the middle of the berth. Next to it were some machines and a tray of medical-utensils. Madi eyed the set nervously. Ratchet followed her line of sight and supplied, “That’s only for emergencies, in case something goes wrong.”

Trusting his word, Madi situated herself with eased practice while he completed the setup. Cliffjumper came forward to help fasten the restraints, periodically asking her if the tightness was comfortable enough, to which she responded accordingly. As they finished the final preparations, Madi kept glancing between the medic and the ceiling, trying to hide the nagging itch in her head.

Feeling her unrest, Ratchet addressed her without making eye contact. “You might as well spit it out if it’s bothering you so much.”

Stopping to meet his face, she swallowed, “Who’s the donor?”

The medic barely stopped in his tracks, although she could feel the hesitance in his field. She decided to press further. “You made the serum in space, but you still need a host to provide the blood transfusion. Do they even know?”

Ratchet remained quiet for a moment longer before stopping to face her head-on.

“Yes, they do. You met him earlier, although he was supposed to be resting in bed, not roaming around like an imprudent sparkling.”

Her eyes widened. “Killian? What about the others?”

“There is no one else. He was the only person we let volunteer.”

Although it answered her question, another set of questions blossomed, leaving her mind mulling them over as she fixated her line of sight at the ceiling’s framework. Ratchet had procured a datapad, typing quickly into it before setting it aside.

“We’re ready to begin. Any questions before we start?”

Tying the knot in her stomach, Madi asked, “Will it hurt?”

His eyes softened before shaking his head. “You may feel some discomfort, but it should be nothing more than a space surrounding your mind. It will take some time to adjust. I have done this once before, so it will be a learning experience for both of us.”

The mention piqued her interest. She was about to ask Ratchet about it, but Cliffjumper redirected her attention.

“Creator bonds are protective programmings for development, like that between a human parent and child. They are one of the fundamentals of the Cybertronian species when raising their young.” He offered her a kind smile. “Ratchet is an exceptional creator. You are in good hands with him.”

Nodding, she stowed her question for later. She turned back to the medic.

“You said it was for life. Will I have any control after this?”

Ratchet shook his head. “Yes. I will only guide you as necessary until your spark has fully matured enough to leave the crèche. They will then remain dormant.”

“How long will that be?”

The medic inhaled slowly before exhaling just as fast. “That is a complicated answer. Once I analyze your memories, I will explain everything to the best of my ability. Now let’s move on, shall we?”

Accepting his response, she followed his instructions, slowing her breath, forcing her body to relax, and her mind to drift off in tune with her heartbeat, devoid of all thoughts. The feeling of weightlessness began encasing her body as she let go of all sensations around her.

A prickling sensation suddenly made itself known. It tickled the edge of her field, crawling in closer until the feeling of featherweight tendrils begin wrapping itself around her. She felt a prick in the back of her head before suddenly, her entire being was lit on fire.

Madi’s back arched like a bow. Her jaw widened, releasing a silent scream. Cliffjumper immediately came forward, attempting to hold her down as the restraints buckled. Beside her, Ratchet rocked backward on his pedes, taken aback by the intensity of the connection as it snapped into place. Eyes rolled back, she collapsed against the gurney boneless like a doll cut from its strings.

He grasped the sides of the berth, shaking his helm. He brought his attention back to the gurney and saw his holoform had dissipated. Gathering his bearings quickly, he reactivated it, appearing beside Cliffjumper who was dabbing away the stream of tears on Madi’s face.

“Was it successful?” Cliffjumper asked him worriedly.

Ratchet nodded in response. He went internal, analyzing the bond more thoroughly this time. His HUD flared with an influx of data. Her vitals were stable, the connection was successful and strong. Something brushed against his processor, causing his brow ridges to scrunch confusingly at the sensation. He trailed behind it, nearly losing it a few times. His optics widened when he found what he was looking for.

Cliffjumper whipped his head up at the tone of Ratchet’s voice.

“Something else is there, too.”

* * *

Opening her eyes, Madi had expected to see the familiar void. She blinked confused when she instead found herself in an empty bedroom.

Sitting up, she observed the walls lined with thick colorful drapes and ornaments. A shelf of books lined one side of the wall, standing tall next to a set of tables decorated with books and drawings. The windows allowed sunlight to peek through and by the looks of it, it was midday.

Slowly, she got off the bed and beelined to one of the tables. Drawn to one of the books, she opened to the first page. Looking back at her was a drawing of a circular spiral with strange symbols etched onto its surface. Behind it, a light highlighted its artistic presence. Flipping through the next few pages, there were other drawings she immediately recognized. Lost in the book, it took her a moment before she felt another presence come into the room. She looked up to meet a familiar face.

“Ratchet?”

He nodded, observing the place. “This is not what I was expecting.”

Gulping, she let out a shaky chuckle. “Yeah, same here.”

He stepped forward, gazing out the window outside.

“Is this where you once lived?”

Following his line of sight, she nodded. “This was my home back on Earth. It’s called Louwoda Kliron. In English, it means Shallow Valley.”

“Did you live here with your parents?”

She nodded. “Yes, before they passed away”, she answered tightly. “I lived here with my adopted mother since.”

“I’m sorry to hear that”, he offered sincerely.

She offered him a tight smile. “It’s okay. Thank you.”

Madi blinked, looking around, “So is this the creator bond?”

The medic shook his head. “Not necessarily. Although I traveled this entire mind scape before I found you here. Apparently there are doors that I cannot unlock.”

“Unlock?”

He nodded. “There is something else here that is blocking my creator protocols from entering your mind completely. I believe you may have the key to them.”

Furrowing her eyebrows, she was puzzled. “How would I know what it looks like?”

“You’re already looking right at it”, said a new voice.

They both whipped around, greeted with a young woman leaning against the entrance. Her dark hair and burgundy shirt contrasted elegantly with her tan complexion. Madi recognized her immediately.

“Becca?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	7. Initiating the Bond Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creator Bond, Part 2!
> 
> Apologies for the delay! Chapters 1-3 were being polished and updated!
> 
> Fair warning: This chapter also served as a personal emotional reflection, there may be some potential triggers. Refer to End Notes for Trigsdaleng translations.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

It took Madi a moment to register the name as it left her mouth. Was her mind playing tricks on her?

“Oh, I can assure you this is very real”, said ‘Becca'.

Madi flushed, realizing where her thoughts were being projected. 

‘Becca' inclined her head in greeting. “It’s good to see you again, Commander. Although I truly wasn’t expecting to meet you again so soon. Especially after what happened.”

Madi flinched at the title. Her face heated up at the feeling of Ratchet’s piqued curiosity, but she pretended not to notice it. She recalled the events leading up to the Flame’s removal. Her people had fought tooth and nail to get her back from Sheidheda’s nearly unbreakable grasp. When they finally isolated his code and was about to delete him permanently, he played his trump card with a kill switch. The ultimatum was clear—her life or the Flame. Was one person worth sacrificing their people’s religion and way of life? Her people ended up pulling the kill switch, saving her life to which she was grateful. But the Flame had been effectively destroyed, taking Becca’s consciousness and all the other Commanders’ with it.

In a nutshell, there was no possible way for the First Commander to still be here...unless...

Stopping herself mid-thought, Madi glanced up and stared the woman straight in the eyes. That’s when she noticed the blue-green tint instead of the familiar brown.

Her breath hitched when it dawned on her. “You’re not Becca.”

Madi watched as the woman’s lips quirked into a knowing smirk.

“Very good. You’re right, I am not Bekka Pramheda.”

The woman snapped her fingers. Instantly, the world around them began fading away like sand in the wind, quickly receding into a sea of darkness. Ratchet, cursing himself, reached out to grab Madi. Their fingers touched as he desperately reached to grasp her outstretched hand. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough. 

All Madi heard as the darkness swallowed her whole was Ratchet screaming her name.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Madi found herself sitting in an empty room. Slowly, she turned to inspect the place looking for any signs of the medic. Lined on the walls were a plethora of lit candles, giving the darkened room an omnipresent golden glow. A spiked chandelier loomed above her, chained to an open ceiling. Beyond the metal beams of the open ceiling were staircases that spiraled into the endless void. Looking back down, she spotted a familiar black and white chess board on the elongated wooden table in front of her. The black pieces were lined neatly on her side, facing the white pieces on the opposite end in front of an empty chair. A sickening sense of deja vu hit her when she realized this was the room she would meet Sheidheda in her mind scape when they had conspired against the Primes of Sanctum. 

Madi tried her best not to panic, and instead decided to still her mind and concentrate. Reaching out, she searched for his presence. This was her mind after all. She controlled things here, not the other way around.

As the minutes passed by, her frown grew deeper. Madi squeezed the armrest tightly in frustration. She couldn’t sense anyone. 

A soft breeze caressed her cheek, causing her to look up. Sitting there in the once empty chair was a small child. Dirt and grime matted the child’s face, her hair all tangled and unruly. Despite the darkness of the room, Madi was transfixed to the girl’s small yet piercing blue-green eyes. They shone brightly like a fluorescent dream. Madi’s own pair widened as she stared back at the six-old version of herself.

“What are you? Where is Ratchet?” she demanded.

The child ignored her questions, and spoke as if she just hadn’t been questioned. 

“If you truly believed you controlled things here, we would be sitting in a prettier room. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Madi furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean? I am in control.”

“Are you?” The girl cocked her head sideways. 

“Did you have control when everyone in _Luwoda Kliron_ died in the second death wave except you?”  


The question caught Madi completely off-guard. “W-What?”

Madi opened her mouth to argue back, but the words never made it passed her vocal cords. A figure dressed in grounder gear stepped out of the shadows. His face was painted over with tribal markings. Decorated on his chest were deep gashes that bled a dark red. It left a track as he moved his way towards them, stopping several feet from the table.

She shot up from her seat, chest tight as she stared at the figure that was her father. “ _Nontu?”_

His eyes were downcast towards the ground. When he looked up, her breath hitched at the emptiness in his normally jovial eyes. He spoke, his voice unfamiliar and cold.

“Did you have control when I passed away?”

“N-No…you were just trying to protect us!”

Another figure appeared from behind, this time a woman with braided hair and wore reds and soft browns. When she raised her head, angry welts and bulges marred her porcelain skin. Madi took a step back, recognizing her mother.

“Did you have control when I died in your arms?”

Tears started forming in her eyes. Her voice waved, “I-I didn’t want you to—!”

She was cut off when something suddenly manifested beside her. She screamed, falling backwards on the ground before looking up to meet an older version of herself staring back with a calculated expression. Her hair was pulled back into an assortment of pretty braids, similar to her mother’s and was dressed in armor. On her forehead was the symbol of the Commander.

“Did you have control when you were forced to take the Flame?”

“I did that to save Clarke!” She cried.

A streak of blonde entered her peripheral vision. Whipping her head to the side, she came to face the crouching figure of her adoptive mother. ‘Clarke’ titled her head to the side curiously. However, instead of Clarke’s familiar tone, the voice of Josephine Lightbourne spoke instead. 

“Did you have control when Russell Prime killed her?”

Madi saw red. Seething in a spike of anger, she tried to swipe at the woman, to which the latter dodged swiftly with practiced ease. ‘Clarke’ backed up towards a wall. Madi, seeing the opportunity to land a solid punch, shot her fist forward. However, it didn’t meet a body. Instead, a hand—much larger than her own—protruded from the wall into the room. It belonged to a hooded figure that stood twice her height. A painful whimper escaped her lipsat the bone-crushing grip.

The next thing she knew, Madi was sent flying before making impact with the table, landing in a painful heap. The hooded figure was upon her, its large hands wrapping itself around her neck. Madi’s form started to shake as she came face to face with the monster of her many nightmares.

Sheidheda grinned menacingly, breathing down her face. His one eye stared her down with a crazed look.

“Did you have control when you agreed to let me take over your body?”

“That was a mistake! No! Stop! Let me go!”

She struggled harder against his grip, but he was stronger. He tightened his hands around her neck, effectively choking her.

“Did you have control when they found you and tortured you until you wished you were dead? When you called out for everyone you loved and no one came to save you?”

Dark spots filled her vision as loss of air and overwhelm flooded her entire system. Fat tears streamed down endlessly like a waterfall. An eternity passed before his hands suddenly were no longer there. She found herself standing and in the embrace of another being. One glance at the arms was all she needed to know exactly who they belonged to. Her heart leaped into her throat. Turning to the side she met the azure optics of a half-transformed pretender. Half of his body was charred and black, the other half heavily damaged.

“Did you have control when I sacrificed my life so you could live instead?”

Unable to contain herself any longer, her knees buckled. Madi released a wail of agony as a roil of emotion ripped through her being. She tried to make sense of the muttered nonsense coming from her mouth, but she felt like she was drowning a hundred feet underwater. It was all too much.

The small child came towards her.

“You and I are the same. A plague, a cancer. Everyone we love dies because of us.”

Other Madi crouched down in front of her and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder.

“I’m trying to protect you from hurting yourself, Madi. The other Commanders told you to never show your weakness, which was your love for them. Love _is_ weakness. Are you willing to go through that pain again?”

Madi shook her head, desperately attempting to wipe away the tears.

“The cycle only ends one way.” 

Other Madi placed a sheathed dagger on the ground before looking back up to her. Madi, slightly calmer, eyed the weapon. She asked, her voice barely a whisper, “What do I have to do?”

Her other self nodded her head once. “End it now and you’ll never have to feel it ever again.”

Madi gave it a long stare before she reached out and grasped the hilt. The faces of her parents, of Clarke, of her people, of Ratchet and everyone else she came in contact with replayed like an old movie as she unsheathing the blade. Angling it slightly, she caught her reflection before coming to a decision. Madi stood her full height and faced her other self. 

She gripped the handle tightly, turning the tip towards her body. “There is only one way to stop this.”

Bringing her arm up, she threw the dagger across the room, effectively embedding it into the wall. Her other self looked at her in shock. Sidetracked, she gasped in surprise when Madi engulfed her in a tight embrace.

Other Madi looked at her incredulously.

“You fool! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Madi offered a shaky smile. “Love is not weakness. Love is strength. And that strength comes from forgiving myself. To lead well, I have to make hard choices. And that starts with loving me for me.”

The girl shook her head. “Love is weakness, _heda_. It will destroy you!”

“Yes, it may.” She looked at her other self straight in the eyes. “But this is the only way the cycle can be broken. I have to do this. And you have to let me.”

When she tried to find words, Madi didn’t bother giving her time to.

“You and I are the same, and we cannot live without one another. But you will always remind me that love is there and love will prevail.”

The girl huffed disbelievingly. “Are you certain you want to go down this path?”

“Yes. Life should be more than just surviving. This is how we do better.”

Other Madi leveled her before finally relenting, defeated. “If that is your wish, _heda_.”

A door appeared on the opposite wall, opening to reveal a bright light. 

“It is.”

Her other self turned to face her, bearing the look of defeat. “He is beyond this room, unharmed. He is waiting.”

Thanking her subconscious, Madi moved towards the light. She stood there, basking in its warmth before passing through the threshold.

* * *

Madi gasped when air returned to her lungs. Her chest burned as if she had just swallowed fire. There were voices and lights but they were muffled and blurry. Nothing made sense There was a pressure on her chest, going up and down repeatedly. There was shouting. What they were shouting about, she wasn’t sure. 

Madi tried to keep her eyes open, but her lids felt so heavy. Unable to resist the temptation, she shut them closed and the world turned black.

* * *

A shaking motion jerked her awake. Madi shot up from her position on the ground and cursed when her elbow collided with something hard behind her. It took her a second to gather her bearings. Looking around, Madi realized she was back in the shack in Shallow Valley. Turning around, she found the medic hands up in mid-crouch.

“Ratchet?” she breathed. Her body sagged with relief when she recognized his familiar presence, grateful it wasn’t another projection.

The medic waited until she was comfortable enough before slowly inching closer. He was taken off guard when Madi’s body collided with his. Her arms latched onto his torso and held him in a tight embrace. It took him a moment to recover from the initial shock before he moved to wrap his arms around her shaking frame, rubbing circles on her back.

“It’s all right, little one. I’m here.”

Madi let the tears fall freely hiccuping into his chest. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

He cocked his head confused. “What for, exactly?”

Giving herself a moment, she wiped her face dry. “For separating us earlier.”

The holoform’s furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand. Then _what_ was that?”

Madi shrunk under Ratchet’s scrutiny. His expression went from a mixture of confusion to concern. She turned her attention to the floor, finding sudden interest in it.

Ratchet placed a hand on her shoulder. “Madi? Are you afraid of me?”

She instantly shook her head. “N-No, that’s not it! I mean…” Madi clenched the material of his medical outfit in frustration. Damn it! Why was this so difficult?

Ratchet watched as she struggled to gather her thoughts together. While she did so, he began receiving wisps of images—there was a blonde haired woman with a child hunting for food together. Then there was another. This one felt as if he was looking through a lens. It was the same woman, except she was kneeling with on the ground, pointing a gun to her own head. 

“Who is she?” he questioned.

Madi’s body went rigid. “You can see that?”

He nodded in affirmative. “That was my adoptive mother.”

“Is she deceased?”

She remained quiet before answering him honestly. “I don’t know. I mean, she was supposedly alive when I was still on Sanctum…” The feeling of uncertainty settled in her stomach at the thought of not knowing what was happening on the other side. That is, if she could ever find her way back.

Madi perked up at the swell of encouragement. She turned to the medic.

“We’ll figure it out, one step at a time.”

She nodded numbly. What else was there to say?

“Why you're having a difficult time answering me would be a lovely start.”

_What the—?_ Madi flushed in embarrassment, reminding herself of where her thoughts were going. Then it hit her.

“Has the creator bond been established completely?”

The medic didn’t say anything on it. Instead, he nudged her for an answer to his previous question.

She sighed. “That was a projection of my subconscious. I-I was afraid to let you in. I made my subconscious to create the barrier, hence the locked doors, but they’ve been removed.”

Madi could feel the gears turning in his head at his silence. There was a sense of fascination lingering in the air around him.

“You should be able to access everything now”, she added.

The medic turned and began making his way towards the entrance. “We’ll see about that.”

He eyed her for a second before asking, “Are you well enough to show me around?”

Madi had to blink twice. “You want me to show you around?”

Ratchet snorted, rolling his eyes. “Clearly your hospitality skills need polishing. I would rather not experience the Cybertronian equivalent of a human migraine again. You do not want me in an unpleasant mood.”

Together, they made their way towards the door before Ratchet motioned to her.

“After you.”

Squashing down the apprehension in her stomach, she turned the knob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those not familiar with words in Trigsdaleng (Grounder Language) from The 100:  
> -Bekka Pramheda (First Commander, Becca spelled in Trig)  
> -Luwoda Kliron (Shallow Valley)  
> -Nontu (Father)  
> -Heda (Commander)
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


	8. Hosh daun fou skaikrasha (calm before the storm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploration time! Ratchet and Madi have a little one-on-one inside her head. 
> 
> Happy December!! So..I was originally going to post this as one really large chapter, but after reading through it, it's going to be broken down into sizable chunks. Here we go...!

“Where are we?”

Just as the door shut behind them, an empty hallway greeted the pair. It was brightly lit with white lights trailing along the edges of the ceiling, illuminating the space with a bluish-white hue. The outline stretched as far as the eye could see before curving into a turn at the end. Whether it led to a continuation or perhaps a stop they weren’t sure, but the two would find out soon enough.

Slowly, Madi’s legs began to move on their own accord as she took in the unfamiliar setting. The alienness of its place made her insides churn with each step she took. Not even the strangeness of the medbay’s slithering pipelines and otherly layout made her feel so displaced. She couldn’t remember a time in her life where she was anywhere in or near a place so barren or overly polished. The harsh white walls started to remind her too much of…well, she didn’t even want to go there. When her battered boots emitted a squeak against the gleaming floor did she fluster, ears reddening at the sudden spike of inferiority. Feeling like a stranger inside one's own head was currently not a pleasant experience. If this was a sick joke or an extremely odd dream—perhaps she was sleeping on her right side for too long—she’d rather be awake.

Beside her Ratchet snorted, obviously amused. “If this was a simulation or a dream, I have to agree with your subconscious. I think you would have picked a more interesting location.”

Her eyes widened, surprised at his knowledge of her subconscious’ verbal exchange. “How—!”

“My protocols have locked into place. I can experience what you are seeing, hearing, thinking. I have to admit your egress is impressive, but you lack the proper knowledge of how to firewall.”

Madi gave him an inquisitive look. “What’s a firewall?”

“It will be a necessity for you to learn if you are to live amongst us.”

Ratchet watched her face grow serious with intent and the apt curiosity rise through their bond space. He shivered at the intense urge and thirst for knowledge.

“I see. Then I’ll be sure to learn it well”, she stated matter-of-factly. Ratchet nodded in acknowledgment, internally sighing. He wished certain Cybertronians would carry half the same attitude half the time.

Giving the empty expanse a once-over, he casually commented, “This is exactly where I was before I found you.”

Her curiosity spiked again, this time coupled with the unsettlement that swirled around moments ago. “Before or after we separated?”

Ratchet allowed himself a moment to think before answering back. “Both, to be precise.”

His words caused her thoughts to drifted back to the shack. Her eyes widened, remembering the sketchbook. There were images she drew in it back on Sanctum when they came and went in the forefront of her mind. If she was being honest with herself, most of the time she had no idea what she was drawing or what the pictures even were or meant. But for some reason, she felt that they were important, hence her newfound hobby. Maybe there was something in there they could use.

Madi whipped herself around, intent on going back to grab it, and readied herself to sprint. However, her legs skidded to a halt when a continuous, empty hallway stared back. It was an exact carbon copy of the one behind them. The lights along the ceiling line just curved the other way. The door they just came through was nowhere to be seen.

“What the—!?” Madi exclaimed in alarm. “It’s gone!”

A few feet away, Ratchet had followed her line of sight. His eyes narrowed at the sudden change in scenery. The same thing had occurred when they had been forcibly separated earlier from one other. Taking it as a sign to move on, he beckoned her onward, “Come! There’s no sense in dwelling on it any further than necessary.”

The command snapped Madi out of her newfound quandary. Her body turned to comply with the medic’s direct order, but not before she burned the occurrence in her memories. She sighed nervously through her nose. Guess there was no going back now.

The pair took center point as they followed the curved expanse. The ceiling easily stood twice Ratchet’s height and was wide enough for another person to flank the pair on either side. As they trekked forward, a comfortable silence settled between them. However, Madi’s mind was anything but. The knowledge of not knowing what awaited further beyond the bend caused her what-ifs to maximize on overdrive. Distracted by her overly fluctuating thoughts, she missed the medic’s eye twitch.

As the minutes ticked on, the frenzy inside her head began to settle before morphing into growing frustration. They had walked for what felt like the longest twenty minutes of her life and not one scenery change whatsoever. Had they been walking in circles this entire time? With pursed lips, Madi wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her again.

Ratchet made a sound of agreement. “That too had been my initial thought process. Yet based on my observations and our most recent experience, I don’t believe that to be the case.”

If he was implying something else was at play here, she didn’t necessarily disagree with him on that portion. She trailed back to a recurring query, and more than once since the start of their journey, wondered if her spark had anything to do with this.

She suddenly recalled the question she wanted to ask Ratchet from earlier.

“You said that you had done this once before, right?”

There was a moment of silence before he grunted a response, but said nothing else further on the subject. Instantly she felt a push against her being, like an invisible block. It was cold and solid and shoved itself right into the formerly quaint atmosphere as if it was trying to create as much distance as possible. She felt very uncomfortable. Then it hit her like a train at full speed.

Madi quickly receded away from it, shutting her mind up. She remained silent, not daring to look in Ratchet’s direction. Guilt started pooling heavily inside her stomach. Good going, Madi, she berated herself. First, she kicked him out and trapped him inside this never-ending hallway, and now she’s gone and offended him. Or worse, pissed him off and she hasn’t even passed this goddamn test yet. At this point, she would consider herself lucky if she didn’t suffer any complications while they were both still inside her head. And if she got to keep her life after this…well, that would be a treat.

Out of nowhere the feeling of remorse suddenly burst from inside her, quickly spreading like wildfire. Madi shivered at the unfamiliar feeling, yet it felt so natural. It traveled throughout her entire being, to the edges of her fingertips and toes, enveloping her in a tight embrace. It was warm, sympathetic, and apologetic all at the same time.

“My apologies, Madi. I did not mean to be so affronted. It is simply a sore subject, that is all.” Peering to her side, the brunette didn’t miss the contrition in his voice, despite his otherwise cool composure. She knew well from experience that once marked with phantom scars, even the strongest people can never escape them.

Deciding to drop the subject altogether, her mind wandered until it stumbled upon the familiar face of Dr. Eric Jackson. He served as Wonkru’s primary doctor before taking on the role for Sanctum too after the death of their chief medical officer who had been Madi’s adoptive grandmother. Through therapy sessions, he helped her cope with her newfound life and with the loss of the Flame. She smiled softly, clearly remembering the sincerity in his voice when he said she needed to cut herself some slack. The Flame was extinguished, but her people were not—they were alive and their beliefs still strong. He pointed out with unspoken words that that had to have been enough. Madi had been grateful for his constant pushes and soon enough life started to become a bit more bearable, better even as she started feeling a sense of normalcy. Maybe they could both use a Dr. Jackson right now.

“That’s very kind of you,” Ratchet supplied appreciatively, “However it would be more efficient right now to take care of you first.”

Madi’s breath hitched. She forgot he could read her thoughts. It was an awkward feeling and was definitely going to take some time getting used to.

“But wouldn’t it be harder for you if it’s something you’re still struggling with?”

He scoffed. “Believe me, child, I’ve lived long enough to know what needs to be done.”

She decided not to question the medic and relented. “Okay. If you say so…”

Madi slouched forward as she receded back into herself. Out of the blue, there was a tug in her mind causing her to look up and meet Ratchet, who stopped and turned to address her with an earnest expression.

“Now listen closely and listen well. Questions are necessary for continued growth. Do not stop asking them. I will not be offended by your desire to learn. However, it will be my prerogative on what I deem appropriate to answer and when. Are we clear?”

Madi blinked at the sincerity of his words. She had been afraid to ask anything else of him. Thank goodness for the Creator Bond, she guessed. Her mood quickly brightened at the prospect. She nodded fervently.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well then. I’m glad we’ve come to a mutual understanding.” Then he added, “And as long as you don’t become a pain in the aft, you will learn well.”

“Aft?” She titled her head to the side, eyebrows scrunched. “What’s—oh! Um…” Her face heated up when the meaning finally came to her. “I—never mind. Forget it. I got it.”

The medic threw her a quizzical look. “Has this been happening since you awakened?”

It took a second for Madi to recover before she rifled through the events of the past few days. “Sometimes, but I didn’t really think much about it. I mean, if I listen to something I don’t recognize, my mind will then sort-of translate it for me. And then I get it. Did that, um, make any sense?”

Ratchet hummed, gears turning as he processed the information. “Interesting. Have you experienced anything else?”

She shook her head. “No, not yet, I suppose. But I’ll keep you posted if I do. Although”, she blushed, “You’ll probably know anyway, right?”

Ratchet didn’t outright answer her, but the instant swell of acknowledgment was all she needed to know.

Madi remained quiet, attempting to organize her thoughts silently when they resumed walking. “Ratchet?”

“Yes, little one?”

“When you apologized to me before…that feeling…it felt like there was a mini-explosion here.” She placed a hand on her chest. “Is that normal?”

Ratchet nodded. “It is. And it will become second nature as you continue to practice.”

“You seem to have a lot of faith that I’ll pass this test.”

He proffered a raised eyebrow. “I never implied otherwise.”

She rifled through her list of questions again. “So you can hear and experience what I think and do. Can I do the same through you? Does it go both ways?”

“The creator and the sparkling can share impulses with one another, however, I am able to create a barrier to block your thoughts, thus separating you from my own mind. You are considered what we call a sparkling, the equivalent to a human infant. You will have the ability to block your own mind by creating a firewall, as you will eventually be learning soon enough. However, my protocols will always override yours _if_ and _when_ necessary.”

Madi grimaced at the infantilizing description. “It sounds kind of like being a dog on a leash, except with two times the extra parental control.”

At the roll of his eyes, he scoffed. “I beg to differ. Someone has to keep you obstreperous younglings in line.”

Her lips quirked with a smile. “Is it safe to guess that I’m not the only ‘kid’ you have to deal with around here?”

He let a long, drawn-out sigh exit his frowning lips. “Unfortunately, no.”

Madi focused on the bond space again, this time studying it a bit more closely. “Your presence is quiet, like calm waters. How does mine feel like to you?”

His deadpanned expression made her worry a second. “You’re not as loud as I’d initially predicted you to be, however, you are still raucous, clearly lacking full control on how to organize your thoughts better and silence your presence especially. You’ll have much to learn in order to be fully functioning.”

Pink dusted her cheeks. She took that as a good sign and smiled to herself. She wondered what else was in store after this, but figured she’d find out soon enough. She never got the chance to go to school, so being able to learn something—anything—made her itch with excitement.

 _Cool down, gad_ a. _One step at a time_ , she told herself. Pass the test, survive, and learn like there’s no tomorrow.

Grinning ear to ear, she bounced on the heels of her boots. “You got it, boss! I’ll be the best student you’ve ever had, promise!”

He huffed. “If not, so Primus help me.”

* * *

Back in the Ark’s medical bay, Cliffjumper busied himself as he continued monitoring Madi’s now still form. He had just stowed away the defibrillator and a few other items, trying to help tidy up the place, not that there was much left to keep in order. It just kept his mind busy and away from the worry blowing up his circuitry.

He watched as her oxygen mask misted in even intervals. Thank Primus, he thought to himself for the umpteenth time in the past sixty seconds. The scout nearly had a spark attack when her heart suddenly stopped and he and Ratchet had to resuscitate the still organ. He watched her closely after that. She hasn't relapsed since then, but one could never be too careful.

On the other side of the gurney stood Ratchet’s bipedal form, which had gone still in concentration. Although his optics were still open, his focus was taken elsewhere. The CMO had given him precise instructions before going back under.

Standing alone on the berth, surrounded by a mixture of both human and Cybertronian medical equipment, Cliffjumper took a moment to reach into the bond space. It was quiet with not much activity. Perhaps she was blocking him out as she did Ratchet, he surmised. Yet Cliffjumper remained hopeful.

The scout wished he could be in there now by her rightful side, but he knew Ratchet would do a better job at getting her started—and keeping her alive for that matter. He had a feeling she had a penchant for attracting and being in danger—an ironically prudent match, Ratchet had dryly noted.

Shaking his head, he returned his focus back on her. The movement under her closed eyelids indicated she was in REM sleep, which was a good sign according to their database on human health standards. She was going to need it.

He smoothed a thumb over her knuckles before returning back to his ministrations.

* * *

They rounded another bend. Not having many hopes of expecting much this time around again, Madi simply continued onward without much thought. However, when Ratchet’s presence was no longer near her, a panic attack nearly crawled itself out of the dark. Whipping around, she found him several feet behind her, standing still as a statue. His eyes stared ahead. From what she could tell, something had his attention.

As if someone had just pressed an “on” button, Ratchet suddenly resumed walking. He strode past her until he stood in front of a wall and crouched to face the lower portion. Madi watched as he extended a hand and brushed his fingers against something there. She quickly went after him and peered over his shoulder. There next his index and middle finger was a bright blue infinity symbol. Her eyes widened, recognizing it immediately.

The medic moved to stand his full height, peering down at her from a foot and a half above.

“I had an inkling you would know what this was”, he commented. “It would appear whenever I came across a locked door.”

“Then there must be one close by”, Madi concluded.

“Precisely”, Ratchet confirmed.

As the pair trekked their way past the symbol, Madi felt a tingling sensation across her knuckles. Her eyebrows furrowed when a thorough inspection of her hand revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

“Look.” Madi snapped her head up at Ratchet’s voice. She hadn’t even noticed that he had walked ahead of her.

Jogging to catch up with him, Madi’s heart skipped a beat when a strong, sweet-spicy scent hit her square in the face. She’d recognize that scent anywhere. Her steps slowed as she took in the sight before her, eyes widening.

Staring back at them was a wall filled with branches and green foliage. The ceiling angled sharply upwards, meeting the top of the wall which stood over a hundred feet tall. Barely touching the ceiling were sunshine yellow flowers sitting atop of a recognizable set of trees. Her feet moved on their own accord, careful to step over the sprawled roots. As she grew closer, there nestled underneath the foliage was a wooden door. From the distance, she instantly spotted a wreath of the orange-and-yellow bulb-shaped flowers hanging against the door. Engraved inside the wreath was the _Louwoda Kliron_ clan symbol—three curved arrows slicing through a circle.

She went to stand in front of the closest of the trees. Gently, she palmed the dark grey bark, feeling the familiar thick, furrowed wood beneath her fingertips. At the close of her eyes, she inhaled deeply as a wave of nostalgia hit her heavy.

 _Louwoda Kliron_ sat in a valley filled with lush flora and plentiful amounts of fauna, making it an ideal place to hunt and gather fruits for the cold winter months. But what made their land special were the tulip tree flowers that bloomed late spring of each year.

Madi choked at the thought of her parents, suddenly very emotional. They were her mother’s favorite and the house would always be decorated with them. It was customary to wait until the flowers fell to the ground to gather them. It was believed that because they were so close to heaven, they would spread the wisdom of the gods above when falling back down to earth. Every season, her father would always make an effort to climb the monstrously tall trees and pluck them without wearing any safety gear. Although her mother was appreciative of his bringing the pretty flowers home, she would berate him for doing something so dangerous. He would grin stupidly and tell her he would do anything for his queen and his princess.

There wasn’t a day that passed by where she didn’t miss her nomon and nontu. Sometimes it felt like they had just passed away yesterday, although they had both been long gone for a very long time now. Her hands grew clammy as the butterflies swarmed her insides. She never truly took the time to grieve them. Could she do it? Could she come face to face with the memories that plagued her very existence?

The direction of her thoughts made Madi grimace before the feeling of defeat began to settle in her stomach. What choice did she have?

Ratchet placed a hand on the brunette’s shoulder, causing Madi to jump out of her stupor. His strong presence instantly soothed her inner turbulence enough to allow her a clear mind to think. Although he didn’t say anything, a myriad of emotions flooded their shared bond space, although three made themselves distinct—reassurance, encouragement, and protectiveness. She leaned into the mixture, relishing in its essence. He spoke through their bond.

//You always have a choice, little one. You can decide to move on from this or you can let it anchor you down for the rest of eternity.//

Stewing on his words, she reflected on her entire one hundred and thirty-seven years of existence. How she even knew how old she was to this moment was beyond her. She felt Ratchet’s surprise brighten in the corner of her mind but paid it little mind.

Since the moment she was born, Madi never had control. People always made decisions for her, or if she retaliated, that freedom was instantly taken away. Sucking in air through her teeth, Madi steeled herself. If she was being honest with herself, she was sick and tired of feeling like an imposter, trying to belong somewhere; trying to become so many things—for her family, her friends, her people, but never for herself. It was time to take care of Madi. Not as _heda_. Not as Madi kom Louwoda Kliron kru. Not as the _natblida_ child. Just, Madi.

If she ever found her way back to Sanctum—if that was at all possible and in her current lifetime—Madi swore she owed Dr. Jackson a shit ton and then some. Her lips quirked at the hum of Ratchet’s sound agreement in her mind.

Grasping the bronze handle, Madi pulled. Nothing happened. Confused, she tried again, pulling harder this time. It still wouldn’t budge. What the hell?

Behind her, Ratchet’s brows came together equally confused. Madi thought back on what her subconscious told her. She was in control, so why wasn’t it opening? Trying to recall their conversation, she rifled through the first encounter.

You’re looking right at it…

Madi took a step back and inspected every inch of her surroundings. Flitting from the creases of the door to the thick foliage above them and over to the ground below, yet nothing stood out of the ordinary.

She distantly heard the crunch of Ratchet’s shoes as he trekked the landscape in search of any clues. He stepped over the thick gnarled roots, carefully maneuvering his way around. Something in his spark told him the answer lied below. As he scrutinized the ground, his feet brought him to the base of a tree. Between the joint where the roots met the trunk was a cluster of five-petal tubular-shaped flowers. Its shocking blue color made it stand out against the rest of the forest. However, that’s not what made his brows furrow in perplexity. Embedded into the ground next to the flowers was a switchblade. He could make out the faded text on the hilt originally reading as ‘Made in USA’, however, most of the words were painted over except for four letters.

On the other side of the landscape, the brunette was inspecting a tree bush when she felt a tug on her mind. Leaping over the roots, she ran over to Ratchet. Her footsteps slowed when she caught sight of the electric blue penstemons and the dark-grey switchblade. Her chest became heavy with a contrite heart. A familiar face surfaced its way to the top, belonging to a young woman with porcelain skin and braided auburn hair. Her name followed right after.

Ratchet wanted to try something. Madi sensed his curiosity through their bond and followed closely behind. Together, they stood before the wooden door staring right back at them.

“What is the first thing that comes to your mind?” asked the medic.

Madi stared at the clan symbol, burning the wreath of brightly colored bulbs. She glanced over her shoulder where the blue flowers were, then back to the door. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she whispered a name that still haunts her and will for the rest of her life.

“Keena.”

The clan symbol glowed iridescent, as if in greeting. Then there was an audible click before the door swung wide open. Darkness welcomed them.

Madi took a step back. “Wait!” she exclaimed.

Running back to that same spot, Madi went to grab the switchblade pulling it forcefully from the ground. She eyed the cluster before gently brushing her finger against them. “ _Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim._ ”

Running back to Ratchet’s waiting form, she held the blade up for him to see and stated breathlessly, “Just in case.”

Ratchet searched her face. “Ready?”

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself once more. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Together, they passed through the threshold. The moment it shut closed behind them, the entire door glowed a bright white and with a flash, it was gone. Not too far away from where the switchblade once was, the spot was barren except for a punctured slit in the earth. The electric blue penstemons disappeared too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Madi's mind scape is based on Becca's Polaris space ship and a bunch of inspo pics on Google. =)
> 
> For those not familiar with words in Trigsdaleng (Grounder Language) from The 100:  
> -Gada (girl)  
> -kom Louwoda Kliron kru (of/from Shallow Valley clan)  
> -Nomon (Mother)  
> -Nontu (Father)  
> -Heda (Commander)  
> -Natblida (bearer of nightblood)  
> -Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim ("May we meet again")  
> -Hosh daun fou skaikrasha (calm before the storm)


	9. Remember Thy Mother

A slither of gold peeked through the darkness as the sound of an opening door resonated across the expanse. Suddenly, the rusted hinges groaned in rebellion as a panel was pulled back forcibly allowing light to spill in spearing the darkness like a hot knife through butter. The _pat-pat_ sound of footsteps echoed through the opening as they came closer and closer until a shadow eclipsed the light. The darkness returned, but only for a second before flickering back into its full brightness.

Landing on the ground in a tuck and roll, a mop of curly brown hair swished as the figure instantly uncurled itself into a crouching position, revealing to be a small child who couldn’t have been older than five or six years old. Her round eyes looked up towards the opening expectantly. As if summoned by the gesture, another figure came through and landed beside her, grunting lowly. The child wasn’t given the opportunity to greet the other person as the trap door slammed shut a second later, shrouding them in pitch black once more.

There was a _chirk_ sound, then a small orange flame flickered to life, followed by the soft _cling_ of a metal handle. A lantern. It floated towards the farthest part of the room with two figures in tow. It was hastily set on the table before the pair went to slide over a bookshelf far out enough to reveal a metal vent lodged a few inches above the floor line. Prying it open, the little girl was ushered inside.

She was handed a few clothed bags and canteens, which were shoved to the side of the tight crawlspace. Her eyes widened a surprise when a smooth metal object was thrust into her hands. Looking down, the child ran her fingers across the item. Her breath hitched as the lantern light gleamed against the metal surface.

“What will you do if faced with an enemy?”

Snapping her head up, she instantly replied back, “Aim for the throat, torso, or ankles. If strangled, aim for the arms, neck, or head. Never leave them alive. Burn the bodies and always cover my tracks.”

“And?”

There was an edge to that single-worded question, causing a mixed expression to cross her face. However, it lasted as soon as it appeared. With two shallowed breaths, she answered, “Do not engage unless I have to.”

At the hum of approval, the girl released a sigh of relief. Setting aside the weapon, she listened intently to the instructions given to her.

“These should last you a few days. I don’t know how long the _Fleimkepa_ scouts will be here, but we will come to get you as soon as they cross back over into _Triku_ territory. You answer to no one except us. Understand? You remember the code, yes?”

She nodded and, with her nimble fingertips, lightly rapped against the entrance’s frame. The woman responded back with her own, nodding approvingly again. Then she produced a pack of matches and thrust it into the girl’s empty hands.

“Go. Light the farthest candle inside.”

When the child returned, the woman went to unhook a medicine bag from her neck and affixed it around the former’s smaller one. The girl threw the woman a confused look, opening her mouth to question the unexpected gesture. The girl winced at the crack in her voice, clutching the satchel’s hide until her knuckles turned white.

“Keena, why are you giving this to me? You’ll come back like always, right?”

Despite her smile, there was a spark of apprehension in the woman’s eyes. Bopping a finger on the child’s nose, she lightly chastised, “Don’t worry about us. Whatever you do, make sure you stay hidden.”

“But that’s not fair! You’re my parents! Why can’t I worry about you too?”

“Because that’s my job, not yours. Now no more arguing. Settle in.” Keena went to put the vent cover back in place when a hand shot out, grabbing her by the wrist.

“Wait!” The girl exclaimed. Her form shook when she spoke again. “Keena, you’ve been training me for four years! I can fight! What if they already know? I-I can talk to them! I can convince them to spare—”

“ _Nowe_! That is nothing compared to what you will face! And I will not allow my child to die in conclave! Not now, not ever!”

The girl shrunk under the woman’s intensity, wincing at the harsh pronunciation of each word. Keena shut her eyes and calmed herself enough to open them back up once more. When she spoke again, it was soft yet condescending. “Even if you become Commander, there is no leniency. Love is weakness. That is the way of our people.”

She placed a hand over the medicine bag, caressing her daughter’s tightened hand reassuringly. “Do you know why we named you Madi?”

At the girl’s head shake, she went on.

“During the battle of Delphi, I had fallen into an ancient structure, made during the time before us. It was a place full of books and so many other things I’ve never seen before. I laid there, pregnant with you, thinking to myself we would never make it back home. The opening had collapsed above us, sealing the only escape route. I swore that we would both die there.

“Before I left the western plains of _Ingranronakru_ to marry your father, I was given these _chinkova_ _teisa_ seeds to protect me during my travels. The clan believed they carried the courage of our ancestors and that it would protect our family from peril. I prayed to them every moment we were bound there. Then, I found a book nearby and discovered the name of that place. It was then I knew, no matter what, we would make it out alive. We were dug out days later, found by your father no less. That was when I decided to name you Madi, our gift from God.”

Silence gripped them both as the words settled in. Placing the cover back down, she cupped both sides of her face.

“Madi, look at me.”

The girl complied. Her eyes were wide and glistening; her jaw set tight as she held them back desperately. Keena caressed her cheek while thumbing away a stray tear.

“I know you’re scared. But I need you to be strong. Promise me.”

Silence. Then…

“I will. But no matter what I do, I’ll still lose both of you. Am I…am I cursed?”

“No,” she instantly replied. “You are a blessing, my child. But the reality of being a _natblida_ is one of great sacrifice and solitude. Nothing else exists except war and bloodshed. And that is if you even survive the conclave to ascend. That is not the life I want for you.”

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but her words died inside her throat, rendering her speechless. Suddenly she launched herself forward, clutching the woman’s torso for dear life. She was embraced back just as tightly.

“I don’t want to be alone, Keena,” was murmured helplessly into the brown tunic.

“You won’t,” she whispered into her hair. They pulled apart—green eyes met blue-green ones. “My spirit will always be with you, guiding you. But you must remember one thing. This world will consume you if you don’t become strong here—”

She pointed to her chest.

“—and here.”

And pointed to the girl’s head.

“A Commander uses her head, not her heart. That is how you survive.”

Little Madi scrunched her brows together, blinking twice. “Commander? But I haven’t won a conclave yet.”

A proud smile broke across Keena’s lips as she brought her hand to stroke the girl’s face affectionately. “You don’t need to win a conclave to prove anything, Madi. After all, the blood of _Bekka Pramheda_ flows within you.”

* * *

The moment they had passed through the door, the entrance coincidentally closed behind them in a heartbeat, leaving the pair stranded in an unknown void. Barely able to see an inch in front of them, Madi clung onto Ratchet’s arm tightly, and he tucked her in close. Neither of them was keen on the idea of being separated again.

The duo moved in one direction, unsure of where they were headed, and only got so far before stopping mid-stride at the sound of a loud creak. Instantly, they were met with a blinding light. The next thing they knew, there was an opening above them. A shadow dropped through. A child uncurled herself and moved aside to let a taller person drop down beside her. It had happened so fast—the second person’s entrance and the closing of the trap door. Despite the spare second, Ratchet caught a glimpse of plated armor gleaming against the last bits of light before they were plunged back into darkness.

When the woman lit the lantern alight, Ratchet was about to follow. However, he stopped when something spiked sharply across his mind, causing him to look over his shoulder. Madi was staring intently at the woman, disbelief and something else written all over her face. He approached her slowly, addressing her with a steady tone.

“Madi, are you alright?”

His voice finally snapped the brunette out of her trance. She glanced at him, instantly flushing over a wave of guilt.

“I’m sorry. I just…I wasn’t expecting to see her after…” Her voice trailed off and for a moment, she saw the image of her mother’s blister marred face staring back at her. When she blinked, the image was gone. Ratchet took note of her hand tightening around the blade’s hilt and the slight constriction in her posture. Warily, he gave the room a cursory glance—what little he could see of it—and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze.

“Remember, this is nothing more than a memory. None of this is real.”

“Right.” And although her head fully agreed with his sentiment, inside she felt the complete opposite. Pressing her lips together into a thin line Madi attempted to quell her racing heartbeat. She swore her feet were grounded in dried cement. When she finally took a step forward, it took everything inside her not to break. Maintaining a slow yet steady pace, she approached the pair from behind. Ratchet followed closely with a watchful eye. As she came within a few feet of the woman and the child, her face contorted, a flash of anguish ripping through herself as she caught a glimpse of her mother’s face. She looked the same as she remembered—porcelain skin, auburn hair, and piercing green eyes.

“Keena, why are you giving this to me? You’ll come back like always, right?” her mother spoke in their native tongue.

Turning herself away, Madi blinked away the tears that started forming in her eyes. Deciding she didn’t want to stand any longer, the brunette took the liberty of claiming her place on the floor. Ratchet settled beside her, leaning against the space between her and the table, careful not to knock over their only source of light. Despite its dim glow, the lantern gave him a clear view of the two individuals from his angle. Ratchet watched on with piqued interest, especially at the language they spoke. He was able to decipher a handful of words, but he wasn’t able to understand the context of most of them. It was almost as if they were speaking a form of coded English.

“I was four when the _Fleimkepa_ scouts came to our village for the first time,” Madi muttered, almost silently. “The next time they came, my parents hid me here. They were afraid the floorboards weren’t enough.”

Without turning to her, he asked, “What were they looking for?”

“ _Natblida_. Nightblood children. Only a handful of people are born with my blood type once every generation. According to our people’s tradition, it is the scout’s job to find them and bring them back to Polis to be trained.”

“For what exactly?”

“To become the next successor of the previous Commander.”

Earlier, Ratchet had spotted a portion of the wall decorated with a litany of various weapons. “Was that the purpose of this room?”

Madi’s jaw tightened. “Yes and no. I began to wield a weapon the moment I could walk, and every day I was trained on how to fight them.”

“The other nightblood children?”

“No. The _Fleimkepa_ scouts.”

Just then, they looked up at the sound of the woman’s outburst. Hand clenching around the switchblade’s hilt, Madi winced at her mother’s seething tone. In need of a distraction, and in response to Ratchet’s interest and confusion as he tried to understand what they were saying in Trigedasleng, she gave him an abridged translated summary of their conversation.

“I offered to go with the scouts in exchange for my parents’ lives. I didn’t want to lose them. Keena disagreed and said it would change nothing.”

This caused Ratchet to regard her, baffled. “If you had become Commander, wouldn’t your word be law?”

“It would have, but it’s considered blasphemous to hide a _natblida_. It goes against our ways. Had the scouts had found out, my parents would have been executed for treason anyway.”

The medic didn’t respond back to that, but he definitely wasn’t liking where this was all heading.

“How do you say ‘mother’ in your language?”

Madi perked up in mild interest. “ _Nomon_. Why?”

“You have only called her ‘Keena’. That is her name, correct?” When she confirmed, h continued. “Then why have you not addressed her properly as such?”

“I wasn’t allowed to unless in private. Even then, I was told to never say ‘mother’ or ‘father.’ To my clan, I had died at childbirth.” That had been the story of her life—a person existing as a nonexistent person. Not even their clan head knew.

“They were afraid that if I went out accidentally and began calling them _nomon_ and _nontu_ , which means father, it would have raised suspicions.”

Ratchet felt a wave of sadness as she continued.

“I was never allowed to leave the house without them or play with the other children. School was not a choice either, but they taught me everything they knew. I was upset at first, but later on, I understood why.”

Ratchet hummed. “ _Skairipa_ was a champion you admired growing up. She was the Commander of _Wonkru_ , was she not?”

Surprise flared across their bond space. “How do you know about her?”

Racking her mind, Madi didn’t recall speaking about her to the medic. She hadn’t even crossed her mind for quite some time. Skairipa was the title bestowed to a warrior named Octavia of the Sky People. After a final conclave, she had united the divided clans and led them to survive for over six years in an underground bunker after the second apocalyptic death wave wiped out all life on Earth. Madi, who had survived topside, grew up to admire this strong warrior, who, like herself, was also forced to exist as a nonexistent person, and had hoped to meet her one day. And when that moment finally came, well…things only turned out for the worst. But how did he know that? Did he know that?

“You must take me for a fool if you truly believed I wandered aimlessly around without finding out some things on my own.” There was no malice in his words, but it left her pondering even more.

It had never occurred to her that he had poked around into other parts of her mind, possibly witnessing other events in her life without her knowledge. Now that she thought back on it, he did mention there were doors we couldn’t open. Unsure whether it was a byproduct of the Creator bond or from her own self defenses, an uneasy feeling settled inside her stomach.

“ _Skairipa_ won her place to lead Wonkru, but she wasn’t a _natblida_. She had red blood. Before her time, the previous conclaves were different. When the current _natblida_ Commander passes, a conclave is held to determine who takes their place.”

The medic flickered his attention briefly to her, then back to the projections. “By fighting one another?”

“Yes. To the death. The last one standing is believed to have been chosen by their predecessor’s spirit and goes to take the Flame and ascends to become _heda_. When they die, the process is repeated all over again.”

Ratchet was still as he digested the information. He watched as the woman placed a chaste kiss into the girl’s hair before she replaced the vent cover back. The bookshelf went next. Madi, too watched as nostalgia hit her heavy. Her finger itched to reach out to touch her mother, but she refrained from doing so and sat still as she went to open the trap door and exited out of the room.

“This was the last time I saw her before she died.”

It was then the memory started to fade. Ratchet stared at the bookshelf which looked as if it had been undisturbed from its spot. He saved the recording into his core database. The medic sighed internally—there would be a lot to review.

Lit candles surrounded them, scattered across the room, providing the space a warm incandescent glow. Madi had gotten up from her spot and walked across the room towards the wall Ratchet had seen earlier. Unfolding his arms, he followed closely behind while also taking in the place’s layout now that they could finally see it more clearly.

They were in the middle of what appeared to be some type of a training room. Aside from the candles, it was devoid of any lighting fixture or anything technological for that matter. If humans had one word to describe the place, it would be medieval. Bookshelves lined his right side, the shelves packed with books and scrolls. On the left were two tables with pieces of what appeared to be makeshift weapons on one, most of them unfinished; the other had jars and bundles of herbs. He also spied a set of scalpels peeking out of a leather pocket folder.

An ominous display of swords, spears, and other melee weapons stared back at them as the pair studied in each piece. Madi’s attention landed on a makeshift spear to her left, its pole made of carved Maplewood and metal shrapnel. Reaching out to brush against the surface, her hand phased right through it. However, as she held it in place still phased into the shaft, a part of the room opened up like a portal, revealing a scene from another time in her life. Sitting there on one of the tables was her three-year-old self and a dark-skinned man with tribal tattoos lining across his neck and sides of the head. She could hear his voice as he instructed her step by step on creating the makeshift weapon. A tiny smile graced her younger self’s stoic features at her father’s approval. Removing her hand, the portal disappeared.

Suddenly, there were whispers of a feminine voice—the same from before—which caused Madi to turn herself to the other side. Ratchet had his own fingers phasing through the hilt of a short sword, which opened up another portal closer to where he stood. On the ground was the same girl, looking about a year older, struggling to get back up on her feet. With shaky hands and drenched in sweat, the girl grasped the short sword in front of her. A few feet from here stood Keena wearing a serious expression. She swung her own blade, pointing the tip towards her daughter.

“Your enemy will not give you a second chance! Again!” Metal hit metal as the girl struggled to hold her own.

Ratchet retracted his hand. The portal instantly vanished, and so did the two figures. No words were spoken between them as they explored parts of the collection of tools and weapons, each revealing different aspects of her life, being trained to use them and defend against them. As they rifled through a few more pieces, the medic began to notice that Keena—Madi’s mother—was in most of these memories and was the one doing most of the physical training. Her father, whom he learned was named Theo, seemed to have taught her the strategic side of survival—weapons-crafting, hunting, and trapping.

While Ratchet busied himself with another memory, Madi was pulled towards the leftmost side of the wall, where she spotted a familiar-looking object. Her throat closed itself tight when she stopped in front of a large ax. She could remember clear as day when he first introduced the weapon to her. Although her father preferred bear traps and spears, he had a particular fondness for this weapon. During the winters, it was suitable for chopping up firewood. It was also an efficient weapon when delivering the killing blow to the enemy, he once told her. Madi went to grab the belly of its wooden shaft, figuring her hands would go through it too. She was surprised when her fingers were able to close around it. With a half grunt, Madi unhooked it from its place, turning it over in her hand. Her breath hitched when a tiny glowing infinity sign etched into the ax head’s cheek stared back clear as day, glowing a dimly lit cyan.

Transfixed with the symbol, Madi barely paid attention as her surroundings transformed around her.

* * *

Ratchet blinked in confusion. Where the Pits was he? And where was his ward?

The portal had vanished, leaving the medic standing in the middle of a forest surrounded by fallen dead leaves mixed with patches of white. Walking a step forward, his shoe sunk into the white mass, which he realized was snow. A loud crack boomed from above, causing Ratchet to turn his head up where the trees parted to find the sky alight with red fire. He narrowed his eyes before returning his attention back to the ground, suddenly aware of an uncomfortable heat surrounding his form. 

Trudging forward, he spotted several bodies littered across a pathway leading to a collection of houses near a clearing. He inspected them closely, knitting his eyebrows in consternation at the red bulges that marred their exposed skin—radiation burns.

Something tugged at his spark, causing the medic to lift his head up towards the clearing. He saw a small figure standing in the open center. Getting up from his crouched position, he spotted another figure approaching—this one much taller—creeping up on the former, weapon in hand. His eyes widened when he realized who it was, spark dropping out of his chassis. He bolted towards the clearing, running as fast as he could. He prayed to Primus he would make it in time.

* * *

When the smell of rotting flesh hit her square in the face, she finally looked up to see herself in a bright, empty clearing surrounded by houses and forestry, mouth agape. She spied the trading stalls not too far away from the village healer's home. The familiar sight of _Louwoda Kliron's_ village center where people would barter and commune hit her heavy. Madi's throat thickened when she brought her arm down, gasping at the unmoving body sprawled on the ground in front of her. The person's face was contorted in mid-scream, unfortunately having died amid the pain. Bile rose in the back of her throat, threatening to come up any minute.

The hairs on the back of Madi's neck stood instantly at the sound of crunching leaves behind her. A shadow loomed over her. Time slowed as Madi whipped herself around in time to find herself underneath the raised arms of an armored figure as he was about to bring down a spiked club with the shout of a war cry.

" _WOCHAS_!!/LOOK OUT!!"

Something heavy collided against Madi, sending her tumbling violently across a sea of dead leaves into the base of a nearby tree. When the world finally stopped spinning, a dizzy spell struck her painfully as she moved to gather her bearings. Someone was shaking her shoulders urgently, and she struggled to turn her head back up to face them. However, when she did, Madi's heart leaped into her throat as she stared back at a familiar dark-skinned face embroidered with tribal tattoos.

"Theo?"

The ringing in her ears made it hard to decipher what he was saying other than his fear-ridden expression. In the corner of her eye, the movement caused Madi to look past his shoulders to see a person covered in makeshift armor about to bring down a spiked club. Madi screamed.

"Behind you!"

The man grabbed the ax from her hand and twisted around just in time to counter the assailant. As he was about to stand, his form faded away in a swirl of smoke leaving behind a familiar-looking holoform, shaking her shoulders worriedly.

All of a sudden, she could hear his voice loud and clear. "Madi! Answer me! Are you alright?!"

She blinked and nodded so fast, her head spun again. "I-I'm okay," she managed to muster. 

Whipping her head around, she spotted her father as he engaged the assailant. Ratchet followed her line of sight and reacted immediately. He grabbed her arm tightly—not enough to bruise—and dragged her back, receding behind one of the fruit stalls.

A battle cry caught her attention as she watched her father slice the attacker's hand off in one fluid motion. The spiked club thunked on the ground as the attacker howled at his missing limb. He moved to hack at the attacker's legs, knocking him to the ground before swinging down the ax with a grotesque squelch, severing the head.

Her heart jumped out of her chest when he cried out in pain. An arrow made impact with his legs, causing his legs to buckle. Another went whizzed past him and barely missed Ratchet's head by a few spare inches. In the distance, two more people dropped down from the trees above and ran towards them, weapons in hand. Breaking the arrow near the tip, the man named Theo turned his blood-spattered face towards her and yelled, "Madi! Get out of here! Now!"

One of them yelled in the distance.

"Kill the _natblida_!"

Metal clashed against metal as he swung his ax, parrying it against the new assailant's swords. One of them made their way around him, running towards her, but Theo was quicker and threw his weapon. The next thing she knew, the assailant fell to the ground next to her, eating a face full of snow with the ax sticking out from the back of his skull.

Madi watched in horror as Theo miscalculated a step. She tried to run back to her father but was stopped short when a pair of arms suddenly grabbed her from behind. 

"Madi! Stop! This is just a memory!"

She thrashed against him, kicking and screaming. "Unhand me! Let me go!" When he didn't relent, she begged him. "Please, Ratchet! I can still save him!"

Ratchet's grip was unwavering as he held on. With a heavy spark, he, too, watched the scene unfold. He whispered regretfully through their bond.

// _Forgive me, little one._ //

A helpless scream ripped through Madi watched helplessly as the grounder stabbed her father in the chest repeatedly until his body went still. Ratchet tightened his grip as Madi's body went slack in his arms as all the fight left her. Her knees hit the ground with a cold thud as she sobbed.

The medic eyed the assailant picked up the spiked club, and approached them, swaying slightly on his feet. Ratchet tightened his arms around Madi protectively.

"Poor, little _natblida_." Although Madi couldn't feel it, Ratchet was surprised the assailant was speaking in English. 

"You didn't make it into the bunker either, did you? Now you're here all by yourself with no one to save you." He laughed hollowly, blistered skin twisting grotesquely in a sneer. Madi lifted her head, glaring menacingly at the grounder who gave her a crooked, grinning like a madman.

"What a cruel fate. But don't worry. Let me know your true mercy!"

Blood speckled everywhere, littering the pair and the ground in red. The grounder's words became a gurgle as a sword suddenly stuck out from his chest, killing him instantly. His body fell in time with the club, both clunking onto the ground with a heavy _thunk_.

Standing over the fallen grounder as Keena. She breathed raggedly, her braids falling apart, and porcelain skin too was marred with reddened blisters. With one hand, the woman applied pressure on an abdomen wound.

"Madi," she whispered, eyes glazed. She hobbled closer only to fall onto her knees in a painful grunt and collapsed into a heap of limbs. The girl felt her legs running even though she was still being held by the CMO. A cold chill scorched her entire being when a small child suddenly appeared, running up behind them and phrased right through them.

The little girl's arms shot forward, attempting to help the woman into a comfortable position. Madi's eyes brimmed with tears as she felt the woman stroke the child's face. She looked at the direction of Theo's fallen figure, remembering the conversation clear as day. 

"He…he was…told me to run, and I did, but—"

"Shh… it's okay. I know." A tear escaped her closed eyes as she whispered in the direction of his body. " _Yu gonplei ste odon._ " Suddenly, she went into a coughing fit, spitting out blood from her lips. 

The four looked up as a fierce rumble rocked the earth and sky around. A howling wind cut through the air as the heat rose spontaneously to the point where heatwaves were visible from the ground within seconds. Red flames engulfed the grey sky above, traveling above them like a tidal wave. It shrouded the valley with an ominous scarlet red.

The woman shakily brought her hand up to grab the child's. "Go, Madi…" She hacked, grunting painfully into a standing position. "…back home…"

"No!" Her younger self cried. "I'm not going without you!"

Despite the lack of words, Ratchet could feel Madi pleading with him through their bond space.

// _Please Ratchet._ //

After a moment of hesitancy, the medic loosed his grip on his ward. Madi shot forward, instantly merging with her younger self. With all the strength she could muster, she lifted the woman's body, slowly dragging her across the heated ground. She trudged a couple of times, struggling to bear the weight of a person three times her own size. Madi was surprised when the woman's body became so much more bearable and looked up to find the medic holding her other side up.

He nodded to her. "Lead the way."

They trekked their way across the pathway leading to a secluded part of the forest. Climbing up the steps of the porch, they pushed the door open before setting the woman onto a blanket draped across the floor. She wrapped her lower body with another one. Ratchet followed Madi as she ran into the kitchen, helping her gather a canteen of water and an old bottle of alcohol. Madi grabbed a handful of cloth. Turning around, she discovered the woman leaning heavily against the doorframe.

"Madi, stop…save it…for yourself."

She took a step forward and instantly fell to the ground in a tangled heap. " _Nomon_!" Madi and Ratchet raced over, helping her into a sitting position.

The woman grasped the child's hand, thrusting a blade weakly into her hands with a medicine bag. Madi instantly recognized it as the switchblade she lost earlier.

"You are such a strong girl, Madi." 

Her heart pulled at the sight of tears streaming down Keena's face. Her mother rarely cried. "I love you so much. No matter where I am, my spirit will always guide you."

Madi shook her head fervently. "Stop! Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"Madi…I can't…but you can."

"But I don't want to! Not without you!" She grasped her mother's robes. "Theo is gone, I can't lose you too!"

"We are never gone. Look up to the sky, and you'll see us there. We'll always be with you."

The woman closed her eyes, offering her a tired smile. " _Ai gonplei…ste odon…_ "

Madi stared at the woman's body, waiting for her eyes to open again. 

"Keena?" 

She shook the woman's body, but there was no movement. She listened for a heartbeat or breathing, but there was nothing but stillness. She sat there for what felt like an eternity as she waited for her mother to come back to life, that this was just a sick joke. Ratchet knelt down beside her, wrapping an arm around her petite shoulders. 

"She's already gone, Madi."

At his words, a cold numbness washed over her. The medic pulled Madi in tightly, rubbing circles into her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. Around them, the house began to fade. Madi wasn't sure how much time had passed before she lifted her head up. Wiping away her tears, she glanced at Ratchet, sniffling heavily. Her entire body shook in an attempt to calm herself down. Madi's face scrunched in confusion when Ratchet handed her a box of white sheets.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Tissues. The people of this planet use this to wipe their secretions like tears and mucus away."

She took one, thanking him before proceeding to make herself somewhat presentable again. He took the soddened pieces and tucked them into his pocket. Madi, curious, questioned him on its origins.

"Where did you get that?"

Ratchet offered his ward a one-sided shrug. "Creators always come prepared." He then added in an afterthought. "You're also not the only one with creative mental capacities either."

Madi laughed hollowly at his comment and nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm truly sorry for your loss." She offered him a watery smile, trying not to cry again. 

"You're right. They're gone."

Ratchet was silent, unsure of what to say next. For a long moment, the pair sat like that, Madi sniffling as quietly as she could while Ratchet decided to take in the house environment where she once lived. He peered out one of the windows and noticed the sky was no longer an angry red. Instead, it was a grayish-blue. Madi turned to regard him when he observed their surroundings through the window and got up to do the same. She then noticed her younger self shoveling dirt onto a small mound right at the base of a tulip tree. 

She ran to the door, switchblade gripped in one hand and sprinted across the field. By the time she reached her destination, the little girl had disappeared, leaving her and Ratchet as the only ones standing there. Taking a closer look, the land around them was devoid of any bodies. It looked as though the forest grounds had been swept clean. 

In the distance, Ratchet spied a glinting object sitting idly in the middle of a nearby clearing. Recognizing it instantly, he moved forward to snatch it off the ground, returning with the ax in his hands.

With wordless permission, Madi took the weapon from him and flipped it over. The same infinity symbol stared back at her. Ratchet narrowed his eyes, seeing it too. The sound of a sliding door echoed in the distance, causing the pair to find a door erected from the ground. They eyed it wearily. Coming closer, they saw that it had no knob. However, there were three slots—each shaped differently—that prompted some insertion type. Madi brought up the ax, which fit into the ax-shaped slot. When it slid in, it glowed a bright white before it disappeared, only to be replaced with an infinity sign.

The next slot was smaller, and this time they fit the switchblade into its place. Again, it glowed a bright white, and there was a second infinity symbol reflecting back at them. 

The third slot was the smallest of them all and was square-shaped, clearly meant for something compact. Both searched their bodies, attempting to identify what it could be. It wasn't a weapon—it's too small to fit one or be one. Ratchet glanced over to his side while Madi rummaged through her weapons pouches. He turned back to Madi and asked, "What is the translation for blue beardtongue in your language?"

Blinking, the brunette drew a blank. "Um…blue would be _teisa_ . And beardtongue, I guess, is _chinkova…"_ She went silent, thinking. "Protect us from peril…carried the courage of our ancestors," she repeated from memory before. 

The last dot connected itself, and a lightbulb went off.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. "The _chinkova teisa_ seeds—inside the medicine bag! That has to be the last part. But…" she trailed off. "She gave it to my younger self, not me."

Ratchet had a thoughtful look on his face. He glanced back at the tulip tree base, then back to Madi. "Perhaps she did, or perhaps you might have it."

"Wait, how?" She questioned him.

He pointed his chin towards her chest. "Why don't you take a look for yourself."

Madi went to undo the top button of her outfit. She pulled out the medicine bag nestled underneath her shirt, gasping. "H-How?" The guilt and sadness from before were wholly replaced with shock and wonderment.

Before the medic could answer her question, the medicine bag glowed a bright white in her hand. When the glowing dissipated, she was left with a bulky key in her hand. "Whoa…" was all she could say. 

The pair walked up to the door and inserted the key's shaft into the slot. The fit was perfect. A third infinity symbol revealed itself above the previous two, simultaneously glowing together. Removing the key, the door slid open to unveil a shadowy corridor with a light shining through at the end of the tunnel. Madi grasped Ratchet's hand, gripping it tightly while they moved down the narrow pathway. As they came closer, she could hear several voices talking amongst one another. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized them—Indra and Gaia. Her second-in-command and her _Fleimkepa._

"We need a true Commander now. Will you do it or not?"

"The decision isn't mine to make. The child must choose for herself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those not familiar with words in Trigsdaleng (Grounder Language) from The 100:  
> -Nowe (never)  
> -Ingranronakru (Plain Rider clan)  
> -Chinkova Teisa (Blue Beardtongue/Penstemons)  
> -Natblida (nightblood child)  
> -Bekka Pramheda (the first Commander)  
> -Fleimkepa (Flame Keeper, priest)  
> -Trigedasleng (Grounder language)  
> -Nomon (mother)  
> -Nontu (father)  
> -Skairipa (Champion from Sky People, “sky reaper”)  
> -Wochas (look out)  
> -Yu gonplei ste odon (Your fight is over, said in passing)  
> -Ai gonplei ste odon (My fight is over, said in passing)


	10. The Flame (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Contains spoilers from Season 5 of The 100!

The knot in her stomach twisted at the sound of their voices. When was the last time she had seen or spoken to either of them? The thought of how much time had passed since their last encounter left the brunette deeply disturbed. Were they still even alive, for that matter? The knot in her stomach twisted in fear, overwhelmed by the idea of being the only person alive of all her people. It peaked for a second before sloping back down into a pool of guilt.

Ratchet watched her from the corner of his eye, quietly and carefully gauging the upward and downward spiral of fluctuating emotion through their connection. He had become practiced in handling Sam’s high rising and pit-falling moments, instinctively knowing when to intervene and when to bring up his firewalls. At times, the blocks had been necessary—not for Sam, per se—but rather for his own sake so he wouldn’t become distracted by the primal instinct of simply snatching the newspark and hiding him away, obviously not by the child’s volition of choice, never to see the world again. The phantom feeling submerged his senses. The fact that he was doing the same thing naturally right now with another newspark so soon caused his circuits to twist as he fought to control the bubbling rage that had been shoved away earlier. So lost in trying to reign himself back to the present moment, Ratchet didn’t realize that he had slowed down in pace. A tug on his sleeve brought him back out of his processing, and he caught Madi giving him a quick glance, then turned back forward to lead them forward without uttering a single word.

The tunnel led them to a bolted metal door affixed with a small window positioned in its center. Ratchet, given his height, peered through while Madi simply stared at the metal structure instead, boring holes into it. Logically, the next step would be to enter and figure out what went on next. At least, that was what the medic figured. He spied the handle and went to grasp it. However, a hand instantly shot out, stopping him right as he was about to close his fingers around it.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Wait. Hold on.”

Just as he returned his gaze back to the door, there was a resounding click, then the door opened inward. An older woman held the door open for them, greeting the pair with steel-cold eyes and a serious, no-nonsense expression. Madi tugged his arm and led him inside. They stopped in the middle of the room to face another person walking towards them—a dark-skinned woman with cropped blonde hair. A man, who entered right after the pair made their way in, stood to their left. Ratchet instantly took a cursory glance around them. The room was a living quarter that at least he could tell. Flanking both sides of the two adjacent walls to the door were two pairs of bunk beds and a small nightstand between each post. A neat cluster of gray lockers claimed the opposite wall, two rows of four stacked on top of one another. Occupying the room’s center was a round table, enough to seat six, perhaps eight people if they squeezed in tight enough. A dim, golden-orange light peeked from the floor towards the ceiling, providing the dull space with some vibrancy as the only touch of color.

The air was thick with tenseness as they looked at one another, speaking a silent language through eye contact. The door had been closed shut behind them, although the older woman’s hand was still gripping the door handle, blocking the room’s single exit. Ratchet could feel her intense stare on the back of his neck, although when he turned his head, he saw it wasn’t directed at them entirely. Although her face gave nothing away to her emotions, Ratchet watched the woman’s eyes flicker to Madi, and he could feel the girl stiffen beside him. The medic didn’t miss her brown orbs softening for a fraction of a second, instantly narrowing when it returned to the other two occupants. It was a look he was all too well acquainted with. The light hit the side of her face, highlighting the tattoo that curved from her brow ridge to her cheekbone.

“I’ll go check on Octavia.” Her deep voice sharply cut through the uncomfortable silence. With a curt nod, the door was pulled open—this time with much more force than necessary, before it slammed shut, leaving the four of them alone. The blonde-haired woman went to lock it, and when she returned to face the pair, Ratchet could see a turmoil of emotion underneath the stoic mask.

Madi stared back at the projection of Gaia with a similar expression that had been directed to her own mother. Gaia was faithful to their people’s religion and had dedicated her life to serving the next Commander. Madi had come to respect her as a mentor through her teachings and guidance—and still did, despite the pitfalls they experienced along the way.

She could feel Ratchet’s solicitousness to the other person and quickly went to pull memories of Bellamy Blake. He was her mother’s friend whom she had grown up listening to stories about. She attempted to provide happier moments with him in hopes it would distract him from Bellamy’s clearly desperate look. However, the onset of confusion caused the brunette to follow his line of sight. When she looked down, her mouth was agape at the change of outfit. She no longer was wearing her grounder clothing and instead sported her training gear and armor. Feeling the sides of her head, she realized her hairstyle, too, had changed.

“Madi, do you know why they brought you here?” she asked.

Madi could feel herself shaking her head, as she had done all those years ago. There was something in Gaia’s expression—a twinge of hope—hidden underneath her alluring tone. A sense of dread, so heavy and viscous, wrapped around Ratchet’s spark as he channeled in the child’s emotional state. It morphed into uncertainty, almost overpowering every other emotion present. However, it was not enough to the genuine fear undulating across their bond.

Gaia threw Bellamy a quick glance as if seeking permission, then moved to pull out the same container from inside her weapons pouch.

Instinctively Madi took two steps back, glaring daggers at the closed container as her heart jackrabbited inside her throat.

“Hey, Madi, it’s okay. No one’s gonna hurt you.” She turned her attention to Bellamy, who held out his hands in a cautious gesture.

Gaia spoke again. “I told you I would never force this on you, and I won’t. But there are things happening now that they believe only the wisdom of the Commanders can save us from, and as much as I wish it wasn’t so, I believe it, too.”

“You’re talking about the war,” Madi stated. “But you’ve been teaching us to fight.”

Bellamy answered this time. “Some fights aren’t worth fighting, Madi. Not when there’s another way. Clarke made a deal with Diyoza for peace, and Octavia is too sick to accept it now, but  _ Wonkru _ won’t follow anyone else.”

Ratchet narrowed his eyes in sync with Madi at the bubble of befuddlement.

“Wait, Clarke knows about this?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “She doesn’t approve.”

“No. She wouldn’t,” was Madi’s instant reply. “Bellamy, if I do this, she’ll never forgive you.”

Gaia opened her mouth to say something. However, Madi cut her off with a sharp tone.

“Just wait.”

Ignoring the  _ Fleimkepa  _ momentarily, she met Bellamy’s grim face. “What happens to Clarke if I don’t do this?”

The silent air suddenly became so thick, it was suffocating. Finally, Bellamy answered her.

“Madi, I hate to put this on you. If there was anything else I could do, I would. But this is how we stop the war. This is how we save that valley, your home, and my friends. This is how we save Clarke.”

Swallowing the anxiety, Madi felt as though someone drove a knife into her stomach and twisted. The rawness of her rioting emotions caused the medic to wince at its intensity. After what felt like an eternity, Madi relented and finally agreed.

Both projections disappeared into a plume of dust. Black lines receded from the floor to unveil a different room lit with a plethora of glowing orange candles scattered all around them. At one end of the space hung right above a wooden table was a red flag. A blue circle dominated its center, and within it, a white infinity sign.

Madi and Ratchet found themselves standing in the center, with Bellamy to their left and Gaia several feet in front of them. Ratchet stood by Madi’s, taking note of her bandaged hand. Gaia’s cloaked figure closed the distance between them, holding a silver bowl in her hand. She spoke softly in her native tongue before dipping her fingers into the dark liquid. It took Madi all but half a second to quickly translate it for him.

_ //The blood of the Commanders is your blood. Let the Commander ascend.// _

The  _ Fleimkepa  _ gave Madi an encouraging glance.

“Don’t be afraid,” she spoke in English. Ratchet watched as she marked Madi’s forehead with a single line. He instantly took note of the metallic scent of blood.

Setting the bowl down, Gaia went to grab something from within the container. Holding it between her index finger and thumb with careful delicacy. Ratchet’s eyebrows nearly met his hairline. It was the chip they had found in Mount Weather.

Madi moved her hair aside, gripping the ends tightly.

Gaia whispered, “ _ Ascende Superius _ .”

The chip activated, glowing a brilliant blue. Thin, spindly navy blue tendrils shot out from the chip, elongating in length and thickness when Gaia hovered it closer to Madi’s exposed neck. One of the endings tapped at the back of Madi’s skin—as if it were inspecting the quality of the flesh—then another one grabbed onto the arch between her skull and neck before plunging into the skin in a bloody squelch.

Sharp pain scorched his entire being, followed by the movement of something crawling underneath his skin. His hands instantly flew up to his neck, palming the area only to realize he was experiencing the phantom feeling of the memory through her. It took every ounce of Ratchet’s willpower not to grab the girl, rip out that abomination hurting  _ his _ sparkling, and hold her close to his chassis until her pain was all but nonexistent.

His Creator protocols attempted to override his primary system, acting purely on instinct. Ratchet, with nearly everything he had grounded himself long enough until Madi’s screams trailed off into a painful whimper. Just as her legs gave out, the medic instantly shot forward, carefully cradling her unconscious form. A faint pulling sensation undulated through their connection, ghosting over the back of his neck.

A white line suddenly zipped around them, breaking apart at the seams to showcase a dim white portion, resembling a three-hundred-sixty degree theatre. They stared at the opening, slowly blinking itself awake. Then, the screen was filled with the face of a blonde-haired female. Ratchet immediately recognized her as the woman he briefly saw back in the shack.

“Clarke.” The voice echoed around them.

The woman’s worry-ridden face sagged with relief as her hand slipped past the left side of the screen. He felt a gentle caress across his cheek.

“Hi. You’re okay. I’m here.”

There was an audible click behind her. The perspective shifted instantly to find a large man positioning his automatic rifle towards them just as Clarke turned around. Her hands flew up in surrender.

“No. No. Please! We had a deal!” she pleaded. The man remained impassive.

“These are my orders,” he told her impassively. Cocking the barrel up, his fingers closed around the trigger and took aim. “ _ Gon Blodreina _ .”

Ratchet sat perfectly still, his attention transfixed at the blinking objects across the screen, resembling a HUD. A circle zeroed in on the man’s face, creating nodal points and snapshotted various scans of his face. The thin line connected to the circle led to a column on the farthest side of the screen that replayed various memories of the man as though it were verifying his identity. A name appeared at the top of the column. Ratchet was overcome with knowledge, suddenly knowing exactly who this man was.

“Put down the gun, Joroum.” The voice that echoed around them was undoubtedly Madi’s, although there was an aged presence in her tone. It had been enough to make the man loosen his hold on the rifle and Ratchet to stiffen.

“ _ Yu laik Joroum kom Sangedakru, nomfa kom Lizbeth kom Sangedakru _ . You served with honor in the royal guard of Lexa  _ kom Trikru _ . You believed in her. Now believe in me.”

The man’s tense posture unraveled, and he fell to his knees, completely disregard at weapon at hand. What looked to be hope blossomed across Joroum’s face as he addressed Madi with a single word.

“ _ Heda _ .”

Ratchet jumped at the sound of a gunshot. Joroum’s body fell to the side with a bullet hole in the head.

“Why did you do that?”

Without turning around, Clarke responded sharply. “You know why.” She moved to close the vehicle’s passenger door, but not before she stopped midway of being spoken to.

“Clarke, if we run, Octavia wins. Gaia, Indra, and Bellamy will die.”

The blonde gripped the edge of the passenger door, face hardening as if considering the statement. However, when her blue eyes flitted up to meet hers—his—it was clear her mind had already been made up and proceeded to slam the door, hard.

“They made their choice.”

The perspective shifted to hover over to the maze of rubble and broken buildings in the distance. A roaring engine ignited to life in the background, followed by the sound of screeching tires against gravel. They watched as Joroum’s still body became smaller and smaller until all else but the dull grey of dead earth that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a matter of seconds, then the screen blinked off-line, reverting the entire place back to its inky shade.

Hushed voices crept upon them, becoming louder and louder. In an instant, the voices boomed, followed by the flash of images all around him, each one fast-forwarding to the next at blinding speeds. He could see thousands of faces and hundreds of places—towers, mountains, forests, plains, space—it was too much to take in all at once. Suddenly, the images stopped moving. Staring back at him were a group of people standing in a semi-circle. He could hear a woman’s pleading voice as the screen shook side to side as the smell of gasoline permeated the air being poured copiously on the ground below.

“Cadogan, please! You’re making a mistake. I can save you! I can save all of you! With my serum, you don’t have to live in the bunker anymore! The Flame can change everything! You think he’s saving you, but he’s killing you!”

The impassive face of a man in the distance was all he could see before her agonizing scream pierced the silence as the fire consumed the screen, then nothing. Ratchet had gone completely still, admittedly shaken as he attempted to process what he had just seen in a matter of seconds, minutes, hours—he could no longer tell.

Madi moaned in his arms, coming to. Ratchet helped her into a comfortable sitting position, pushing away a strand of hair from her drenched forehead.

“Did I miss anything?” she rasped.

He gave her a pointed look, attempting to keep his face as neutral as possible. However, from her concerned expression and flare of alertness, he knew his facade had slipped.

Madi yelped when something grabbed hold of her shoulder, only to scream when she realized it didn’t belong to the medic. A hand shot out of the shadows, grabbing onto Ratchet’s forearm. Ratchet wrung himself free as Madi struggled with another that had grabbed hold of her hair. Unknowingly behind Ratchet, another hand shot out and latched onto his neck. He wrestled it for a good minute, using all his upper body strength to jerk and twist until it finally let go. Quickly he rushed over to Madi and tore off the offending appendages. Madi grabbed hold of his arm and tugged him.

“This way!”

They sprinted in an unknown direction, weaving their way through the darkness as the appendages continued to shoot out from the shadows. Madi and Ratchet didn’t stop, rushing forward, evading the hands, or freeing themselves along the way. Peering straight ahead, Ratchet’s eyes widened at the sight of a white door. Glowing bright blue on it was an infinity symbol. A flare of acknowledgment brightened in his mind. Madi saw it too.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, the brunette stumbled to a stop, cursing at the sight of the handleless surface. Quickly, she searched the entire surface in hopes of finding a clue—anything they could use—to open it.

Urgency flared across their bond space. The appendages were closing in.

“Hurry!”

Her hands instantly grabbed the key around her neck. With shaky hands, she pointed the tip towards the infinity sign, praying  _ something _ would happen.

Ratchet closed his body protectively over Madi just as the wave of hands came upon them. At the same time, the key glowed brightly, fading into the symbol.

When nothing but silence greeted her ears for an intermittent amount of time, Madi decided to pry open one eye. They widened all the way when a white wall stared back at her. Twisting around, Ratchet still had his grip on her, although it began to loosen as he took in their surroundings, equally as surprised.

“Are you okay, Ratchet?” she asked.

Ratchet looked down to the girl, softening at her concern. “Peachy. Turn around.”

“You’re shaking.”

“I will not repeat myself again.”

Throwing him a dubious look, Madi complied, angling her head down after sliding her hair to the side. As far as he could tell, the wound there had closed up, leaving only a thin scar in its place.

“What exactly was that device?”

Madi cocked her head to the side. “You mean the Flame?”

“Is that what your people call it?” At her nod, he added, “Then what was all that?”

Fully facing him now, Madi blinked apprehensively while attempting to understand the context of his question.

He released a half frustrated sigh. Of course, she wouldn’t know—she’d been unconscious the entire time. An idea suddenly came to mind.

“Madi, may I try something?”

Shifting at his change in tone, Madi replied, “Yeah, sure.”

“Close your eyes and let your mind run blank. I want you to focus on our connection.”

Madi followed as instructed, hands clenched nervously on her sides. She could feel his presence across their bond, warm and ancient and loving. There was a gentle touch, a feeling of  _ pressure _ , and then images replayed in her head. Her eyeballs moved underneath her lids in an attempt to keep up with the blast of sounds and color. It was like there was a movie playing inside her head.

When the memory ended, Madi finally reopened her eyes.

“What did you just do?”

“It’s called a data transfer. I can send you information, which in turn automatically becomes a part of you.”

In equal parts shocked and blown away, Madi wanted to ask him another question. However, Ratchet cut her off with his own.

“What was that?” he repeated again.

Madi cleared her throat. “It was the Flame merging with my mind. Those were memories of all the past Commanders that came before me.”

“And that?” He asked, sending her images of the appendages chasing them through the shadows.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen that before.”

Ratchet huffed. “Well, this has been quite the learning experience,” he said dryly, feeling the onslaught of a processor ache nearing the horizon.

One-half curious, another half apprehensive, Madi peered behind the medic’s shoulder. There, mounted into the wall, was a circular hatch nearly as wide as the height between the floor and the ceiling.

Madi eyed the hallway to her right, seeing that it was the same as her left. Her feet brought her forward towards it. In the distance, she spotted an infinity sign near the floor line and made a beeline towards it. She was surprised when she was stopped by an invisible wall, instantly bouncing back off it. Pressing her hands against the air, her hands pressed firmly against an invisible barrier. Peering down at the symbol, it was about a foot from where she stood, clearly on the other side. She noticed with interest that it was a dull grey instead of a bright blue.

Taking this as her sign, she turned around. Madi could feel the bubbling uncertainty and inquiry on his side of the bond.

“We need to keep going. I’ll answer them on the way,” she suggested, walking past him. Ratchet followed right behind her.

“Then let us go.”

* * *

Rubbing a hand over his face, Carter pulled off his spectacles before proceeding to wipe away the tears that gathered at the corner of his eye. He glanced over at his phone and tapped the screen with his index finger. The black screen instantly came to life to reveal the NEST insignia in a blue background. Above it was the time. O’three hundred. Fuck.

Sleep had been a thing of the past lately, and within the past forty-eight hours, he could count the number of hours he took to rest with all ten of his fingers. The stubble on his face irritated him beyond measure, but that was currently the least of his worries. His eyes traveled over to the Ark, whose metal surface reflected against the moonlight with a pale golden glow. It’s been five hours since Ratchet had begun.

The PA was currently seated at one of the foldable tables he had been using as his desk of operations for the past few days. Most of the HIVE had already been decontaminated, but the Autobots weren’t taking any chances. Affected patients were still inside. Everyone else—soldiers and civilians alike temporarily took refuge topside in any spare rooms or outside in their own makeshift offices and bedrooms made of foldable tables and sleeping bags. He wasn’t deaf to the whispered chit-chatter about the situation and the new girl. There were mixed opinions, and Carter had to admit the more negative ones had him more than a little worried.

He checked in with several of the other officers, who were taking rotations to ensure there were eyes in the sky and the waters for any suspicious activity. There were a few Autobots in the distance circling different parts of the atoll on their guard. The leaders had already been informed of NEST’s temporary crutch situation. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any Decepticon sightings or emergencies in the past eighty-four hours.

Just as Carter was about to call it quits for the night, he saw someone running towards his direction, hand waving in the air. He recognized him as the point of contact he had spoken to from before. The man stopped short, heaving from the island heat, saluting him. “Sir!”

Carter glanced at his uniform tag. “What’s going on, Rodriguez?”

“There’s a situation in medbay.”

“What happened?”

He paled at the officer’s words. “Two people just died. A civilian and a member of Alpha Team. They had the blood alteration done, sir.”

“What?” Was all he could say in equal measure of shock and confusion. The serum had proven successful in tackling any issues related to radiation exposure. At least, Ratchet’s results had proved just that days ago.

“How long had they been altered?”

“Three days, sir.”

He mentally cursed himself. This was bad.

“Alright, let me get clearance on re-entry, and I’ll meet you there in fifteen.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve been tasked to escort you straight to medbay. There’s already a suit waiting for you at the entrance.”

“Great, thank you, Rodriguez.”

He followed behind, quickly typing into his phone as a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those not familiar with words in Trigsdaleng (Grounder Language) from The 100:  
> -Wonkru (clan name, "one clan")  
> -Fleimkepa (Flame Keeper, priest)  
> -Ascende Superius (Latin, "seek higher things")  
> -Gon Blodreina ("for the Red Queen")  
> -Yu laik Joroum kom Sangedakru, nomfa kom Lizbeth kom Sangekadru ("You are Joroum of the Desert People, son of Lizbeth of the Desert People")  
> -Heda (Commander)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudo and subscribe for future updates! Feedback and comments are welcomed! Looking forward to continuing this journey with you. 
> 
> May we meet again. 
> 
> Till all are one.
> 
> Xoxo.


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